Race, Color, and Nationalism in Aruban and Curaçaoan Political Identities
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Thamyris/Intersecting No. 27 (2014) 117–132 Race, Color, and Nationalism in Aruban and Curaçaoan Political Identities Michael Orlando Sharpe This chapter focuses on the development and instrumentalization of race and color based Aruban and Curaçaoan nationalisms within processes of decolonization and reconstitution in the context of Dutch sovereignty and Dutch liberal democracy. I argue this instrumentalization of race and color as markers of national identity takes place within an overall framework of white supremacy. The following will describe the current political construction of the Dutch Kingdom and examine Aruban and Curaçaoan national myths of origin along with a brief history of Dutch colonialism and slavery including the 20th century relevance of oil refinement on these islands. Next, there will a discussion of the significance of the 1954 Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands or Statuut and the key role of Curaçao’s labor unrest of 30 May 1969 or “Trinta de Mei” in the development and deployment of racially and color based Aruban and Curaçaoan nationalisms as “invented traditions” and “social engineer- ing.” The chapter will conclude with an examination of the ways in which these notions of race and racism are reified in the Netherlands today. This discussion centers on developments around the Netherlands Antilles prior to its dissolution on 10 October 2010. Before 10/10/10, the Kingdom of the Netherlands was made up of the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles, and Aruba. The Netherlands Antilles was a federation of the five island states of Curaçao (admin- istrative capital), Bonaire, Saba, St. Eustatius, and St. Maarten. The current Dutch Kingdom consists of the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao, and St. Maarten. The smaller former Dutch Antillean islands of Bonaire, Saint Eustatius, and Saba have been fully integrated as “special municipalities” of the Netherlands (Netherlands Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations; “Nederlandse Antillen opgeheven”). Race, Color, and Nationalism in Aruban and Curaçaoan Political Identities | 117 The Dutch Leeward islands of Aruba, population 103,484 (Central Bureau of Statistics of Aruba 1), Curaçao, 130,627, and Bonaire, 10,791, are located just off the coast of Venezuela and the Dutch Windward islands of Saint Eustatius, 2,292, Saba, 1,349, and St. Maarten (Dutch side), 30,594, are located just easterly from Puerto Rico (Central Bureau of Statistics of the Netherlands Antilles 15). As mem- bers of the Dutch Kingdom, the populations of these islands are legal Dutch nation- als with Dutch/European Union passports. Hence, the total population of the Netherlands Antilles (175,653) and Aruba (103,484) in 2006 was approximately 279,137. In 1986, Aruba obtained status aparte from the Netherlands Antilles mak- ing it an integral self-governing part of the Dutch Kingdom, but independent of Curaçao and the Netherlands Antilles. Although Aruba was scheduled to become fully independent from the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1996, this idea was rather unpopular among its population. The notion of independence proved unpopular as people reflected on the poverty and political chaos of Suriname after its independ- ence from the Netherlands in 1975 as well as other newly independent states in the region. Hence, Aruba remains a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Initially, the Netherlands Antilles was to be dissolved on 15 December 2008, with Curaçao and St. Maarten as separate countries similar to Aruba’s status aparte within the Kingdom, and Bonaire, Saba, and Saint Eustatius as “special municipalities” of the Netherlands. But this was postponed and, as mentioned earlier, finally realized on 10 October 2010. In light of Aruba’s secession from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986, these Dutch islands remain in a state of negotiation and flux around their dis- solution and reconstitution as states and national identities, where race, ethnicity, and language are employed as claims to “authentic” national identity. Legacies of racism have played an important role in the construction of these identities. Dutch (up until more recently) is the official language with Papiamento, a Portuguese Creole combining Spanish, Dutch, English, and African influences, serving as the lingua franca of the Dutch Leeward islands of Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire. English func- tions as the vernacular of the Dutch Windward islands of St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, and Saba. These are multicultural and multiracial societies with varying degrees of historical influence from Africa, indigenous Indian Caribbean peoples, Europe, Latin America, and elsewhere. Founding Facts and Myths Following 19th century French observer Alexis de Tocqueville, political scientist James Hollifield (L’Immigration; “Immigration and Integration”) has written about what he calls “national founding myths” or “national models.” These “national found- ing myths” typically refer to essentialist narratives about the founding of the nation that are in some way supposed to be representative of the identities and values of that nation. These national founding myths can be seen in examples ranging from 118 | Michael Orlando Sharpe.