Introduction In 2010, a popular Dominican newspaper, El Listin Diario, posted a series of racist cartoon depictions of Haitian refugees in their “funnies” section related to the aftermath of the horrifying earthquake that struck the French-speaking side of the island of Hispaniola. These comics negatively depicted Haitian refugees in the Dominican Republic, portraying clear and distinct lines of racial discrimination against Haitians within the drawings reminiscent of anti-Haitian ideologies established in the nation more than 200 years ago. While the negative representation of Haitians in the newspaper is disheartening, the subject of prejudice and racism against this particular group is nothing unfamiliar to the Dominican Republic. The complex …show more content…
Issues in defining race and ethnicity, specifically in the Dominican Republic, have historically been built around the country’s relationship with its neighbor on the other side of the island. Notions of “dominicanness” and Dominican nationalism presented by elitist groups in the country post-independence during the late 19th century relied on racial ideologies such as antihaitianismo (translation: “anti-Haitianism”) to illuminate the supposed negative “African” characteristics that existed in Dominican society. According to author Ernesto Sagás, antihaitianismo is defined as a set of socially reproduced anti-Haitian prejudices, myths, and stereotypes prevalent in the cultural makeup of the Dominican Republic based on presumed racial, social, economic, and national-cultural differences between Dominicans and Haitians (Sagás, 7). Essentially, blackness was associated with being Haitian. In 20th century Dominican Republic, the most violent representation of this racist ideology in the history of the country would be the Haitian massacre of …show more content…
Its limitations are based upon an extremely patriarchal perspective of Dominican culture. The exclusion of women from this study was not intentional. In reviewing sources from this particular time period, I did not find instances of women largely involved in establishing nationalist views in the country, nor did I encounter instances of intellectual or elite women promoting antihaitianismo. In addition, this essay also focuses solely on a Dominican perspective of race, nation, notions of blackness, antihaitianismo, and the Haitian massacre. While there exist multiple works today which examine a Haitian perspective of these themes, this essay is based upon how Dominican elites envisioned race relations in relationship to Haiti in Dominican society post-emancipation through the 20th
While this was happening the people of the Dominican Republic didn’t know. To them he won fair and square, and he was going to take care of their country. This was the first of many of wicked Trujillo's unfair stunts he pulled on the people of the Dominican Republic. Only one hundred and forty miles away from the Dominican Republic was the little country of Haiti. Due to the two countries being so close to each other, naturally some Haitians lived in the Dominican Republic and vise versa.
INTRODUCTION On Saturday, August 9, 1997, nearly twenty (20) years ago, Haitian immigrant Abner Louima made a decision that would haunt him for the rest of his life. When he left his apartment in the East-Flatbush section of Brooklyn, accompanied by his younger brother and an older cousin, he had no idea that his life would be forever changed. He would become victim to an unspeakable, grotesque, dreadful and inhumane act of violence that would not only shock the conscience of the world community but would forever leave him with the stigma of having been the victim of the worst crime in the history of police brutality in New York City. Abner Louima was born in Haiti. He immigrated to the United States.
The Dominican Republic during the Trujillo Regime in the 20th century was an extremely tough experience for citizens and residents in the island. There was recurring acts of torture, violence, arrests and murders that were occuring all thoughout the country while dictator Rafael Trujillo was in power. His main targets were those of Haitian descent and people who had African phenotypes which led to the development of colorist and racist roots in the upbringing of the country. During his dictatorship, approximately 20,000 people, mainly Haitians, were murdered in 1937 under his command which later became known as the Parsley Massacre. Through Junot Diaz’s work, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,we get insight into a family’s life and struggles
In this book, the author seeks to understand how bodies are governed in Cuba, specifically the bodies of young women of certain ethnicities and not others. One of the central concepts that the author explores is jineterismo, as a sexual practice where young Cuban women engage in sexual activities with foreigners, but in a grey area between economic gain, love, and sexual desire (Daigle 12). Thus, using this concept as a backdrop, the author wants to answer the question of why young black or mixed-race women are governed differently by the state (Daigle 12). Indeed, the author
In his sermons to the Haitian congregants of the valley, Father Romain often reminded everyone of common ties: language, foods, history, carnival, songs, tales, and prayers. His creed was one of memory, how remembering—though sometimes painful—can make you strong (Danticat, 73). In “The farming of Bones,” Danticat presents the unvarnished effects of the construction of social identity to expose racial suppression on the men and women to illustrate the racial prejudice that took place in the 1937 massacre, which can also be referred to as the Parsley Massacre. While the majority of the novel is filled with sorrow, it is also full of life, love, and survival. Amabelle, a young Haitian woman witnessed middle class non-vwayaje Haitians walk their
I never got the opportunity to attend school in the Dominican Republic therefore I do not have much knowledge of my history but it was interesting learning some of the many outcomes the Trujillo era had in the Dominican Republic. Having this in mind, in my opinion I believe my country and my people have been facing a pre-Trujillo era or position. It’s like going back in time since many murders and racist acts have been seen against the Haitians population residing in the Dominican Republic. And I belief it’s a matter of opinion but I just don’t agree with this approach because I times I have seen Haitians in my country I see them working and with a very humbled attitude.
Initially, Amabelle usually excuses the idea of the Dominican people trying to send her people back because she simply does not find it to be believable. She claims that the Dominicans “could not touch people like [her] … who worked the cane fields [because] they were giving labor to the land” (140). Amabelle’s naive attitude towards the situation stems from her belief that states that the Dominican people rely heavily on the Haitians to work for them and the fact that she has probably not experienced a high enough level of discrimination. Since the only Dominicans she comes in contact with are the people she works for, her mindset is flawed because she assumes that just because the Señor and Señora treat her with some respect, every other Dominican will act the same. Even though she feels secure at first, Amabelle’s perspective slowly begins to change once the words of a field worker of the potential banishment seems to convince her.
Racism is a disease that infects too many societies in the world today. Essentially, racism is rooted in an individual’s belief that due to heretical differences, some cultures are superior to others, resulting in the antagonism of the inferior race. Racism turns a blind eye to what a person should be judged upon, such as the kindness in their heart or who they are as a human being. In society today, much effort is being made to erradicate the world of racism, as it is highly frowned upon, however, this in turn has resulted into individuals still practicing racism, though in a concealed mannor. This is the case on the island of San Piedro.
Haiti is ten-thousand square miles of mountains and valleys, and is stuffed to the brim with almost 3 million people. Most are black or lighter skinned, but there are only 5,000 white, most all whom are immigrants. It’s widely believed they came from Africa, but they are just as European as American’s were in the beginning. They learned their main language, Creole, from French slaveholders and it has been used in high and low classes alike since. A sign of higher education though, is being able to fluently speak French.
Chapter 1: Cultural Analysis: The chapter focuses and is centralize on the cultural environment and phenomena of Dominican Republic. We have tried to study and determine the cultural factors on how and what our service will be. Along the run our introduction will tell us the main points in Dominican Republic’s Cultural Analysis. I. INTRODUCTION: “Dios, Patria, Libertad”
Professor Henry Gates visits the island divided in his very first episode of Black in Latin America. The island of Hispaniola hosts both the nations of Haiti and the Dominican Republic and have so for five centuries. The island was the first land in the Americas to import African slaves and from that point the two nations have shared the Massacre River, but nothing else. Haiti and Dominican Republic have two completely different cultural identities and this relates to the connections they have with their African ancestors. Professor Gates explores and compares both of these cultures and why they have so many differences, even though they are in very close proximity.
“Slavery In The Dominican Republic and How It Affected the Natives Racial Identity” By definition the Dominican Republic is a Caribbean Hispaniola Island that is shared with Haiti to the West. The Dominican Republic today is a major tourist destination and has become a major source of sugar, coffee, and other exports. But the Dominican Republic had to suffer a lot in order to prevail the way they did, undergoing being enslaved by the Spaniards while on the other side of the island the Haitians were enslaved by the french hence the obvious difference in languages and cultures. The main difference is that the Dominican Republic lost their racial identity and until the present day are unaware of their true racial identity. Slavery affects every country and person differently but in the Dominican Republic, slavery took away the nation’s identity.
Due to these dumb and unfair rules it had left the Haitians quiet and hopeless. In the story it states, “Under her breath, my mother is cursing this monster cursing this monster who drags thousands of women out on the hot streets to venerate
Details and examples III. Conclusion a. Summary of main points Living in Dominican Republic vs living in Haiti Important researches about the history of the Caribbean shows significant geographical information about the second largest island in the Caribbean also known as the Hispaniola, which contains two separate countries; Dominican Republic and Haiti. This two countries are similar in several ways; for example, both share an impressive history about their colonialism and slavery. Even
This essay, both intentionally and unintentionally gives us a glimpse of contemporary Latin American race relations,