Historically there hasn’t been a
complex breakdown of races as there were in other countries. The conflict has
almost always been between light-skinned and dark-skinned Dominicans. Through
the years of colonization, the people were taught to think that the darker
skinned were inferior. Racial tensions also lie within Haitan-Dominican
relations; many Haitians are hated by their Dominican counterparts because of
their darker skin. It is also important to note that suggestions of European
and indigenous heritages in the Dominican Republic have historically been
celebrated at the expense of a generic African past. “Race is created by
attaching a social and cultural significance to physical features or color and
then by grouping individuals according to phenotype and appearance”
Three basic
racial groups exist on the island; negro, blanco, and mulato. The term Indio is
used to classify an indigenous person of Taino descent. The majority of people
are mulato due to a mixing of negro and blanco. However, the disparity of skin
tone within the mulato community created a sub-level prejudice of the
darker-skinned. In reality the Dominican Republic is jabao; a multiplicity of
colors due to generations of racial mixture. Race is more than just skin color;
it is status, power, and location. A person could actually become “lighter” by
improving economically, for example, one may be born negro but die blanco
because of their status.
Dominican
nationalism is deeply mired in anti-Haitianism and during the colonial period,
the idea of a black republic was disturbing to the ruling class. The elites
fostered antagonism in black populations in both countries in order to maintain
power. I find it ironic how an island that was supposed to be “one and
indivisible” has literally been split down the middle. In 1937, the dictator
Rafael Trujillo led a massacre of about 15,000 Haitian workers which even
further instilled a deep hatred between the two countries. Going even deeper,
we can examine the relationship of English and Spanish colonizers. Santo
Domingo was the first island in the Spanish Caribbean to abolish slavery;
leaving many freedmen. Haitians welcomed the French and incorporation into the
first black republic.
Roughly 90%
of the population is of African descent, and interestingly Dominican notions on
race do not differentiate Dominicans in the way that the U.S. notion of
Black/White race differentiates Americans. This is because most of the
population doesn’t even consider themselves black or of significant African
descent. Ethnicity, race, and culture are essentially the same thing; the
second generation Dominicans identify themselves as “Dominican”, “Spanish”, or
“Hispanic”. Language also plays a big role; they speak Spanish, so they are
Spanish. There are an abundance of second generation Dominicans who are
phenotypically indistinguishable from African Americans, so they show that they
can speak Spanish in order to identify as “Hispanic”
The race
complex in the Dominican Republic has developed from a basic differentiation in
skin color to an almost complete denial of African descent. Ironically, most
Dominicans identify strongly with African Americans due to a shared political
economic position. Notably, Dominicans are able to transform racial contexts
unlike the rigidity and mutual exclusivity that characterizes U.S. Black/White
racial categories.
Sara Johnson-La O
Journal of Haitian Studies
Vol. 8, No. 2, A Special Issue on Politics & Grassroots Organizing (Fall 2002), pp. 4-29
Vol. 8, No. 2, A Special Issue on Politics & Grassroots Organizing (Fall 2002), pp. 4-29
Published by: Center for Black Studies Research
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41715132
Samuel Martinez
Latin American Research Review
Vol. 34, No. 1 (1999), pp. 57-84
Vol. 34, No. 1 (1999), pp. 57-84
Published by: The Latin American Studies Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2503926
Jeremy, it was interesting to read how the people of the Dominican Republic see themselves. That they consider themselves better than those they share an island with even though they come from African slaves and white Europeans. It is amazing that they consider themselves Spanish because they speak Spanish. It all goes to show that people identify themselves as it suits them. I like the part in your blog where you state that a person can go from being considered one race to another through economic status. I guess it shows us that when you have money and power colour is more easily overlooked.
ReplyDeleteLoved the straightforward approach. I found an article which talked about the same thing you mentioned: that Dominicans and Haitians seem to deeply dislike each other. What I had not seen was the facts about the massacre of Haitians during the reign of Rafael Trujilio or that there was a name for the racial mixing which occurs in the Dominican Republic. It just shows you what great resources you found and put to use, and I really liked the examples of status as a racial tool in this country as opposed to skin color.
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