DOCSLIB.ORG

Assumed to Be Black: a Critical Examination of Being Ascribed a Racial Status on a Predominately White Campus

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Assumed to Be Black: a Critical Examination of Being Ascribed a Racial Status on a Predominately White Campus University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI Open Access Dissertations 2014 ASSUMED TO BE BLACK: A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF BEING ASCRIBED A RACIAL STATUS ON A PREDOMINATELY WHITE CAMPUS Shontay Delalue King Francis University of Rhode Island, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss Recommended Citation Delalue King Francis, Shontay, "ASSUMED TO BE BLACK: A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF BEING ASCRIBED A RACIAL STATUS ON A PREDOMINATELY WHITE CAMPUS" (2014). Open Access Dissertations. Paper 237. https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/237 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ASSUMED TO BE BLACK: A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF BEING ASCRIBED A RACIAL STATUS ON A PREDOMINATELY WHITE CAMPUS BY SHONTAY DELALUE KING FRANCIS A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND AND RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE 2014 DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DISSERTATION OF SHONTAY DELALUE KING FRANCIS APPROVED: Dissertation Committee Major Professor Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban Peter Adamy Vanessa Quainoo J. Andrés Ramirez RIC: Karen Castagno Dean, Feinstein School of Education – RIC URI: Nasser H. Zawia Dean, The Graduate School - URI UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND AND RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE 2014 ABSTRACT Colleges and universities continue to add diversity and internationalization as major components of their strategic planning efforts. Students from various racial, ethnic and national backgrounds are expected to live and work together in an intellectual environment while bringing with them various views of race and culture that are maintained through varying myths and misconceptions. This study looked at the technical and cultural definitions of what it means to be ‘Black’ in the U.S. and the stereotypes of being classified within that racial category. The goal of this research study was to understand the experience of students from the African Atlantic Diaspora (Africa, Caribbean, the Americas) whose primary way of identifying racially/ethnically is different than the racial classification of ‘Black’ that they are ascribed in a predominately white college setting. The participants have had the experience of being categorized as ‘Black’ based on physical features such as skin color and hair type. The racial designation of ‘Black’ used in the study is based on the current U.S. legal and cultural definition (Davis, 1991) from the 2010 Census that states, “A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. It includes people who indicated their race(s) as ‘Black, African American, or Negro’ or reported entries such as African American, Kenyan, Nigerian, or Haitian”. (Humes et. al, 2011). The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the federal government department responsible for maintaining racial categories, states, “The racial categories included in the census questionnaire generally reflect a social definition of race recognized in this country and not an attempt to define race biologically, anthropologically, or genetically” (U.S. Census Bureau, 2013). Contradictions arise from this classification because for a number of people, including the participants in this study, ‘Black’ has a varied meaning depending on ones’ cultural frame of reference (Davis, 1991; Romàn & Flores, 2012). Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie highlights the experience of race and class in the U.S. and the social implications of being classified as ‘Black’ in her new book Americanah. In a recent radio interview about her award winning novel, Adichie stated, “in Nigeria, race is not a social reality. It is not an identity marker”, because most people are ‘black’. (Adichie, 2014). Like the main character in Adichie’s novel, the participants grappled with the differences between what it meant to be ‘Black’ here in the U.S. and in their home countries/communities. To understand the essence of their experiences with race, I employed phenomenology. I used the semi-structure format for conducting in-depth phenomenological interviews (Seidman, 2006,) to examine how my participants view their own racial identities (life history) interpret multicultural encounters (contemporary experience), and investigate what they understand being ‘Black’ represents (reflection on meaning). The results were analyzed using a critical race and racial formation theoretical lens. The findings confirmed that the way in which the participants defined ‘Black’ was in conflict with the cultural definition of ‘Black’ in the U.S. The data yielded information that suggests the participants felt that ‘Black’ in the U.S. had a negative connotation and was synonymous with African-American – an ethnic group they did not identify with and held preconceived notions about. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In the process of completing a doctoral degree, I perused previously published dissertations for inspiration. When I began this journey, I dreamt of the moment when I would be writing this section. I knew that it would be filled with emotion and standard notes of acknowledgment. But I never anticipated just how special this would be for me. Since my undergraduate college days, I was told and eventually accepted the fact that I am a pioneer. The word pioneer embodied an image of someone who was not afraid to chart new territory. My journey has taken me from urban New Jersey, to Maine, Alaska, Rhode Island and around the world. As a pioneer, there is a passion that overtakes your thoughts and actions and there are special individuals who help you navigate your journey. I would like to use this space to thank those individuals who helped fuel the passion in me. First and foremost I want to acknowledge God who is the head of my life. He has guided me through many marvelous journeys and obstacles. I give Him the praise, the glory and the honor. I would like to thank my major professor, Dr. Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban for her unwavering support through this process. Her commitment to my doctoral work was evident in her immediate availability in providing me ongoing feedback despite her own major life events (retirement, international travel, the wedding of her daughter, and birth of her first grandchild). A special thanks to my doctoral committee, Dr. Pete Adamy, Dr. Vanessa Quainoo, Dr. J. Andrés Ramirez and previously Dr. Alexander “Sasha” Sidorkin as well as the chair of my defense, Dr. Peter Mendy, the program co-directors and iv members of the program faculty as they have all played a unique role in helping me get to this point and for that I am grateful. To the members of my doctoral cohort – I am appreciative of our in class discussions, parking lot chats after a 3 hour class and opportunities to work together and support one another over the years. A special thanks to Marissa and Adam – I am grateful for the additional support and friendship you have provided to me. I look forward to sharing many more life events with you. I must recognize another very important member of the Education scholarly community, Dr. Phyllis Brazee, retired faculty from the University of Maine. We met many moons ago in Maine and she instantly became a mentor and friend. Miss Phyllis, I thank you for our long conversations, the peaceful quiet moments, and to bearing witness to the note card I filled out listing my passions and goals, one of which was to complete a doctoral program. You will always hold a special place in my heart for your shining example of peace, your ability to ‘flink’ (feel and think) for and with others, and your commitment to bringing multicultural education to predominately white environments. This journey would not be possible without my family. To my dear grandmother, Florine Donald, may you rest in eternal peace. I love you more than words can express. While you were living, I know your prayers and support helped me triumph over many obstacles. I miss you dearly and I know you would be very proud of me. To my aunts and cousins – I love you all and thank you for everything you have done over the years, seen and unseen, to help me get to this point. To my sister Kim, only we know the details of our childhood, so I share this triumph with you. To my mother, Shirley: I love you and I thank you for your guidance. I get my thirst for v knowledge and scholarly nature from you. From a young age you taught me the value of education and so many other life lessons that have prepared me for this moment. I would not be here without you. To my husband, my best friend, and the person who knows me most intimately, Vinald Francis. I love you Pop! You have been my biggest ally on this journey and I thank God for your love and support. You took care of me, Kiara, and the house through this entire process. I share this moment with you. To my brilliant, loving and patient daughter Kiara – my girl. You provided me with the motivation to see this process to completion. Thank you for all of your notes of encouragements, hugs, kisses and prayers. You are the best cheerleader a mom could ask for. Last but not least, to all of the participants in my study. Thank you for your honesty and trust in me. Your stories have given me inspiration to continue this work and make connections for youth across the African Atlantic Diaspora. vi DEDICATION To my husband Vinald and daughter Kiara, Thank you for your sacrifice. I pray for God’s blessings upon us all. To my late grandmother, Mother Florine Donald, may your prayers and wisdom continue to manifest themselves in your children, your children’s children and many more generations to come.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Jewinican (Re)Collection Roberto Alejandro Santos University of Texas at El Paso, [email protected]
    University of Texas at El Paso DigitalCommons@UTEP Open Access Theses & Dissertations 2010-01-01 Exile in the Gramola: A Jewinican (Re)Collection Roberto Alejandro Santos University of Texas at El Paso, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.utep.edu/open_etd Part of the American Literature Commons, Ethnic Studies Commons, Fine Arts Commons, and the Literature in English, North America Commons Recommended Citation Santos, Roberto Alejandro, "Exile in the Gramola: A Jewinican (Re)Collection" (2010). Open Access Theses & Dissertations. 2777. https://digitalcommons.utep.edu/open_etd/2777 This is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UTEP. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UTEP. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EXILE IN THE GRAMOLA: A JEWINICAN (RE)COLLECTION ROBERTO ALEJANDRO SANTOS Department of Creative Writing APPROVED: _____________________________________________ Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Committee Chair _____________________________________________ Sasha Pimentel Chacón, M.F.A. _____________________________________________ Maceo Dailey, Ph.D. _____________________________________________ Patricia D. Witherspoon, Ph.D. Dean of the Graduate School Copyright © 2010 by Roberto Alejandro Santos All Rights Reserved. Livication For my family & friends EXILE IN THE GRAMOLA: A JEWINICAN (RE)COLLECTION by ROBERTO ALEJANDRO SANTOS, B.A., M.F.A. THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at El Paso in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF FINE ARTS Department of Creative Writing THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO May 2010 Preface to Exile in the Gramola : A Jewinican (Re)Collection What is a book of poetry but a collection of words and lines, truths and lies, questions and almost-answers.
    [Show full text]
  • The Development of Literary Blackness in the Dominican Republic
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 8-2001 The development of literary blackness in the Dominican Republic Dawn F. Stinchcomb University of Tennessee Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Recommended Citation Stinchcomb, Dawn F., "The development of literary blackness in the Dominican Republic. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2001. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/6440 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Dawn F. Stinchcomb entitled "The development of literary blackness in the Dominican Republic." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Modern Foreign Languages. Michael Handelsman, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Oscar Rivera-Rodas, Carolyn R. Hodges, LaVinia Jennings Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Dawn Stinchcomb entitled, "The Development of Literary Blackness in the Dominican Republic." I have examined the final copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Modem Foreign Languages.
    [Show full text]
  • Race, Statelessness, and Dominico-Haitian Activism in the Dominican Republic Jacqueline Lyon Florida International University, [email protected]
    Florida International University FIU Digital Commons FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School 6-25-2018 Inheriting Illegality: Race, Statelessness, and Dominico-Haitian Activism in the Dominican Republic Jacqueline Lyon Florida International University, [email protected] DOI: 10.25148/etd.FIDC006870 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Part of the Latin American Studies Commons, and the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Lyon, Jacqueline, "Inheriting Illegality: Race, Statelessness, and Dominico-Haitian Activism in the Dominican Republic" (2018). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3765. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/3765 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University Graduate School at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida INHERITING ILLEGALITY: RACE, STATELESSNESS, AND DOMINICO-HAITIAN ACTIVISM IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in GLOBAL AND SOCIOCULTURAL STUDIES by Jacqueline Lyon 2018 To: Dean John F. Stack, Jr. Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs This dissertation, written by Jacqueline Lyon, and Inheriting Illegality: Race, Statelessness, and Dominico-Haitian Activism in the Dominican Republic, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to you for judgment. We have read this dissertation and recommend that it be approved. _____________________________________ Percy Hintzen ___________________________________ Okezi Otovo _____________________________________ Andrea Queeley _____________________________________ Jorge Duany, Major Professor Date of Defense: June 25, 2018 The dissertation of Jacqueline Lyon is approved.
    [Show full text]
  • “Orgulloso De Mi Caserío Y De Quien Soy”: Race, Place, and Space in Puerto Rican Reggaetón by Petra Raquel Rivera a Disser
    “Orgulloso de mi Caserío y de Quien Soy”: Race, Place, and Space in Puerto Rican Reggaetón By Petra Raquel Rivera A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in African American Studies in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Percy C. Hintzen, Chair Professor Leigh Raiford Professor Joceylne Guilbault Spring 2010 “Orgulloso de mi Caserío y de Quien Soy”: Race, Place, and Space in Puerto Rican Reggaetón © 2010 By Petra Raquel Rivera Abstract “Orgulloso de mi Caserío y de Quien Soy”: Race, Place, and Space in Puerto Rican Reggaetón by Petra Raquel Rivera Doctor of Philosophy in African American Studies University of California, Berkeley Professor Percy C. Hintzen, Chair My dissertation examines entanglements of race, place, gender, and class in Puerto Rican reggaetón. Based on ethnographic and archival research in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and in New York, New York, I argue that Puerto Rican youth engage with an African diasporic space via their participation in the popular music reggaetón. By African diasporic space, I refer to the process by which local groups incorporate diasporic resources such as cultural practices or icons from other sites in the African diaspora into new expressions of blackness that respond to their localized experiences of racial exclusion. Participation in African diasporic space not only facilitates cultural exchange across different African diasporic sites, but it also exposes local communities in these sites to new understandings and expressions of blackness from other places. As one manifestation of these processes in Puerto Rico, reggaetón refutes the hegemonic construction of Puerto Rican national identity as a “racial democracy.” Similar to countries such as Brazil and Cuba, the discourse of racial democracy in Puerto Rico posits that Puerto Ricans are descendents of European, African, and indigenous ancestors.
    [Show full text]
  • Redalyc.Cocolos, Emigración Y Narrativa Dominicana
    Cuadernos del CILHA ISSN: 1515-6125 [email protected] Universidad Nacional de Cuyo Argentina Cowie, Lancelot Cocolos, emigración y narrativa dominicana Cuadernos del CILHA, vol. 7, núm. 7-8, 2005, pp. 13-20 Universidad Nacional de Cuyo Mendoza, Argentina Disponible en: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=181720523008 Cómo citar el artículo Número completo Sistema de Información Científica Más información del artículo Red de Revistas Científicas de América Latina, el Caribe, España y Portugal Página de la revista en redalyc.org Proyecto académico sin fines de lucro, desarrollado bajo la iniciativa de acceso abierto CUADERNOS DEL CILHA. Nº 7/8 (2005-2006). 13 Cocolos, emigración y narrativa dominicana Lancelot Cowie• RESUMEN: El desarrollo de la industria azucarera en la República Dominicana requirió mano de obra para el corte de caña y el trabajo en el ingenio. La dificultad en atraer trabajadores locales resultó en la contratación de obreros de las islas inglesas Anguila, St. Kitts, Antigua, Nevis, Tórtola, etc., donde el masivo desempleo provocado por la industrialización facilitaba el traslado de los isleños hacia las zafras dominicanas. En San Pedro de Macorís, lugar de su asentamiento, se los llamaba despectivamente “cocolos”. Esta ponencia intenta estudiar la historia y delineación de estos obreros inmigrantes, su conducta, su idiosincrasia y modo de vida en el ingenio desde la narrativa dominicana del siglo XX. Las obras seleccionadas son un espejo del racismo, del rechazo cultural y de la explotación de los cocolos en el cañaveral. Cabe destacar que las novelas recientes asumen tardíamente una actitud reivindicatoria ante la ausencia de estudios críticos al respecto.
    [Show full text]
  • E. Paulino National Politics and Ethnic Identity in the Dominican Republic In
    E. Paulino National politics and ethnic identity in the Dominican Republic In: New West Indian Guide/ Nieuwe West-Indische Gids 76 (2002), no: 1/2, Leiden, 105-113 This PDF-file was downloaded from http://www.kitlv-journals.nl Downloaded from Brill.com10/01/2021 10:06:14AM via free access EDWARD PAULINO NATIONAL POLITICS AND ETHNIC IDENTITY IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC The Struggle of Democratie Politics in the Dominican Republic. JONATHAN HARTLYN. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1998. xxi + 371 pp. (Cloth US$ 49.95, Paper US$ 17.95) Holocaust in the Caribbean: The Slaughter of 25,000 Haitians by Trujillo in One Week. MIGUEL AQUINO. Waterbury CT: Emancipation Press, 1997. xxii + 184 pp. (Paper n.p.) Race and Politics in the Dominican Republic. ERNESTO SAGAS. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2000. xii +161 pp. (Cloth US$ 49.95) Azücar, Arabes, cocolos y haitianos. ORLANDO INOA. Santo Domingo: Ed. Cole and FLACSO, 1999. 219 pp. (Paper n.p.) Over the last few years there has been an increase in the publication of books about the Dominican Republic and Dominicans in the United States. This can be partly attributed to the increase of Dominican communities.1 Moreover, Dominican and Dominican-American writers who underscore the trials and tribulations of the immigrant experience are becoming more visible in the mainstream print.2 1. The 2000 U.S. Census reports that the Dominican population in the United States is 764,945, or 2.7 percent of the overall population. 2. For an excellent introduction to the origins of Dominican migration and the long neglected contributions of these immigrants and their children in American society, see Torres-Saillant & Hernandez 1998.
    [Show full text]
  • The Presence of Africa in the Caribbean, the Antilles and the United States Other Books in the Research and Ideas Series
    RESEARCH AND IDEAS SERIES History The Presence of Africa in the Caribbean, www.gfddpublications.org - www.globalfoundationdd.org - www.funglode.org the Antilles and the United States Celsa Albert Batista - Patrick Bellegarde-Smith - Delia Blanco - Lipe Collado RESEARCH AND IDEAS SERIES Franklin Franco - Jean Ghasmann Bissainthe - José Guerrero - Rafael Jarvis Luis Education Mateo Morrison - Melina Pappademos - Odalís G. Pérez - Geo Ripley Health José Luis Sáez - Avelino Stanley - Dario Solano - Roger Toumson Urban Development History THE PRESENCE OF AFRICA IN THE CARIBBEAN, THE ANTILLES AND THE UNITED StatES Other books in the Research and Ideas Series: Distance Education and Challenges by Heitor Gurgulino de Souza El Metro and the Impacts of Transportation System Integration in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic by Carl Allen The Presence of Africa in the Caribbean, the Antilles and the United States Celsa Albert Batista Patrick Bellegarde-Smith Delia Blanco Lipe Collado Franklin Franco Jean Ghasmann Bissainthe José Guerrero Rafael Jarvis Luis Mateo Morrison Melina Pappademos Odalís G. Pérez Geo Ripley José Luis Sáez Avelino Stanley Dario Solano Roger Toumson RESEARCH AND IDEAS SERIES History This is a publication of gfdd and funglode Global Foundation for Democracy and Development www.globalfoundationdd.org Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo www.funglode.org The Presence of Africa in the Caribbean, the Antilles and the United States Copyright @ 2012 by GFDD-FUNGLODE All rights Reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. ISBN: 978-9945-412-74-1 Printed by World Press in the USA Editor-in-Chief Graphic Design Natasha Despotovic Maria Montas Marta Massano Supervising Editor Semiramis de Miranda Collaborators Yamile Eusebio Style Editor Asunción Sanz Kerry Stefancyk Translator Maureen Meehan www.gfddpublications.org Table of Contents Foreword ............................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Download This PDF File
    ISSN: 1093-5398 PALARA Publication of the Afro-Latin/American Research Association 2009 FALL • Number 13 Publication of the Afro-Latin/American Research Association (PALARA) FOUNDERS Deborah Atwater Mary Jo Muratore David Covin Laurence E. Prescott Clelia Reis Geha Henry Richards Ana Beatriz Gonralves La Verne Seales Soley Marvin A. lewis Carlos Guillermo Wilson Alice Mills Caroll Mills Young* Edward J. Mullen *Deceased EDITORS Antonio D. Tillis, African and African-American Studies, Dartmouth College Laurence E. Prescott, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese, Pennsylvania State University EDITORIAL BOARD Jerome Branche - University of Pittsburg Milagros Carazas - National University of Peru, San Marcos Digna Castaneda - University of Havana Christine Clark-Evans - Pennsylvania State University Joseph Dorsey - Purdue University Leslie Feracho - University of Georgia, Athens Ana Beatriz Gon~alves - Federal University of Brazil, Juiz de Fora Conrad James - University of Birmingham, UK John Lipski - Pennsylvania State University M'Bare N'Gom - Morgan State University Moses Panford - Virginia Technical University Paulette Ramsay - University of the West Indies - Mona, Jamaica Flore Zephir - University of Missouri, Columbia International Scholars/Writers Blas Jimenez - Dominican Republic Juan Tomas Avila - Equatorial Guinea The Publication of the Afro-Latin/American Research Association (PALARA). A multi­ lingual journal devoted to African Diaspora studies, is published annually by African and African-American Studies and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Dartmouth College. PALARA is multidisciplinary and publishes research and creativity relevant to Diaspora studies in the Americas. Manuscripts should conform to the latest style manual of the individual discipline and may not exceed twenty-five pages in length. The original and an electronic copy must be submitted, accompanied by a self-addressed envelope, along with return postage.
    [Show full text]
  • LATINIDAD and BLACK IDENTITY in the REGGAETÓN of DON OMAR Centro Journal, Vol
    Centro Journal ISSN: 1538-6279 [email protected] The City University of New York Estados Unidos Domino Rudolph, Jennifer PIDIERON CACAO: LATINIDAD AND BLACK IDENTITY IN THE REGGAETÓN OF DON OMAR Centro Journal, vol. XXIII, núm. 1, 2011, pp. 31-53 The City University of New York New York, Estados Unidos Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=37722223002 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative CENTRO Journal Volume7 xx111 Number 1 spring 2011 PIDIERON CACAO: LATINIDAD AND BLACK IDENTITY IN THE REGGAETÓN OF DON OMAR Jennifer Domino ruDolph a b s t r a c t Parting from existing work on music and identity, this essay explores the ways that black masculinity and material culture structure Don Omar’s claims of Latino unity. I use the performance of Don Omar to understand how black pride and capital become markers of latinidad. I analyze the persona of Don Omar via Afro Puerto Rican identity as compared to the development of the Italian gangster and the black gangsta and nigga in hip hop culture. I also examine the complex ways Afro-Puerto Rican and African- American men negotiate gendered subordination and ethnic pride through reggaetón. [Keywords: reggaetón, race, masculinity, black pride, transnationalism, poverty] [ 31 ] “Pidieron cacao [They ate crow].” Don omar “Intro” The LasT Don IN THE FIRST TRACK OF HIS DEBUT STUDIO ALBUM, DON OMAR positions himself in the regaetón world through a series of shout-outs to friends and foes.
    [Show full text]
  • Colorism in the Spanish Caribbean: Legacies of Race and Racism in Dominican and Puerto Rican Literature
    University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 1-1-2011 Colorism in the Spanish Caribbean: Legacies of Race and Racism in Dominican and Puerto Rican Literature Malinda Marie Williams University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the English Language and Literature Commons, and the Latina/o Studies Commons Recommended Citation Williams, Malinda Marie, "Colorism in the Spanish Caribbean: Legacies of Race and Racism in Dominican and Puerto Rican Literature" (2011). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 709. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/709 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. COLORISM IN THE SPANISH CARIBBEAN: LEGACIES OF RACE AND RACISM IN DOMINICAN AND PUERTO RICAN LITERATURE __________ A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Arts and Humanities University of Denver __________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy __________ by Malinda M. Williams June 2011 Advisor: Barbara J. Wilcots ©Copyright by Malinda M. Williams 2011 All Rights Reserved Author: Malinda M. Williams Title: COLORISM IN THE SPANISH CARIBBEAN: LEGACIES OF RACE AND RACISM IN DOMINICAN AND PUERTO RICAN LITERATURE Advisor: Barbara J. Wilcots Degree Date: June 2011 Abstract This dissertation explores the impact of colorism on Spanish Caribbean literature—more specifically, works of fiction and memoir by both island and diaspora writers from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
    [Show full text]
  • Showcasing Research News from the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics at the St Augustine Campus
    The University of the West Indies Faculty of Humanities and Education Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics RESEARCH NOTES ISSN 2519-5123 Showcasing Research News from the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics at the St Augustine Campus Issue 5 September 2018 Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics Contents 1 Words from the Head Words from the Head 2 Six Years of Leadership 5 10th Anniversary of the CITB 6 Staff Publications 12 Cracks in the Edifice th 13 36 West Indian Literature Conference s the academic year supervision in a wealth 15 Bridging Wor(l)ds Conference 2017-2018 comes to of research areas which 18 22nd Biennial Conference of the SCL 23 Recent PhD Graduates Aan end, I am delighted include topics on the 24 Current MPhil Candidates that we have a lot of good theoretical and practical 25 Current MA Candidates news to report in this 5th edition aspects of language 26 Visiting Lecturers of DMLL Research Notes in learning and teaching, first 28 International Creole Day 2017 the Department of Modern and subsequent foreign 29 Research Tips Languages and Linguistics language learning, the 30 Undergraduate Research (DMLL), including many and impact of study abroad 35 Foreign Language Theatre Festival varied staff publications, the completion of on language learning, relations between 37 World Book and Copyright day 2018 higher research degrees, the tenth anniversary language and culture from a teaching and 38 Linguistics Open & Research Day 2018 39 Tribute to Randy Hezekiah of the Caribbean Interpreting and Translation learning perspective, issues on identity and Bureau (CITB), and so much more.
    [Show full text]
  • Rewriting Trujillo, Reconstructing a Nation: Dominican
    The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School The Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese REWRITING TRUJILLO, RECONSTRUCTING A NATION: DOMINICAN HISTORY IN NOVELS BY MARCIO VELOZ MAGGIOLO, ANDRÉS L. MATEO, VIRIATO SENCIÓN, AND MARIO VARGAS LLOSA A Thesis in Spanish By Andrew B. Wolff © 2006 Andrew B. Wolff Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2006 ii The thesis of Andrew B. Wolff was reviewed and approved* by the following Aníbal González-Pérez Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Spanish Thesis Advisor Chair of Committee Priscilla Meléndez Professor of Spanish Julia Cuervo-Hewitt Associate Professor of Spanish and Portuguese Thomas O. Beebee Professor of Comparative Literature and German William R. Blue Professor of Spanish Interim Head of the Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School iii Abstract Rafael Leonidas Trujillo’s dictatorship over the Dominican Republic had a profound effect on the country’s literary tradition. Between the years of 1930 and 1961, Trujillo carefully positioned himself at the center of all things Dominican— including the island’s cultural and intellectual discourse. From the beginning of Trujillo’s political career, the dictator’s team of spin-doctors, carefully selected from among the Dominican intelligentsia systematically, exploited the media, poetry, prose narrative, and even popular music to construct a public persona that would eventually grow to mythological proportions. Given the trujillato’s notorious use of literature in mythologizing Trujillo, it is hardly surprising that, in the years immediately following his death, Dominican writers would also employ narrative in their efforts to de/re-mythologize him.
    [Show full text]