The Issue of Blackness andMestizajein Two Distinct Mexican Contexts

Veracruz and Costa Chica

Bibliographic Data

ID2177989
AuthorsOdile Hoffmann (0000-0001-9813-0134, Université Paris Cité, corresponding author), Christian Rinaudo (Université Côte d'Azur, corresponding author)
Year2014
Volume9
Issue2
Pages138-155
Publication date2014-05-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueLatin American and Caribbean Ethnic Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1744-2222 • E-ISSN: 1744-2230
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17442222.2013.874643
OpenAlexW1974183716
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited17

The construction of new nations in Latin America has triggered debate on the definition of national identity with a view towards reconciling the reality of mestizaje with the attribution – inherited from Colonial times – of specific ‘characteristics’ to groups and individuals (Spanish, Indian, Black, mulatto, etc.). It was also confronted with racist connotations which, in the early 19th century, included the ideas of progress and modernity, hence the difficulty in legitimizing its own ‘brand of mestizaje.’ We will address these issues through empirical examination of two contexts in Mexico: the State and City of Veracruz, and Costa Chica on the Pacific coast of the States of Oaxaca and Guerrero. Strongly associated with Mexican national identity, what these two case studies share is the issue of mestizaje from the standpoint of the African presence which, though considerable from the start of colonization, was not included in ‘classic’ views of national mestizaje. This analysis helps reveal various ways in which populations of African origin were incorporated into the Nation. Thus, we can see how the local configuration articulates with the overall discourse to privilege one facet or dimension of (cultural, or social, or political) Afro identification over another

Aesthetics · Archaeology · Art · Colonialism · Ethnology · Genealogy · Geography · Identity (music · Immigration · Latin Americans · National identity · Political science · Politics · Privilege (computing · Sociology · Anthropology · Gender Studies · History · Indigenous Cultures and Socio-Education · Latin American and Latino Studies · Politics and Society in Latin America

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