Article examining dominican identity

[wventura]

http://www.las.iastate.edu/newnews/stinchcomb0308.shtml

Around LAS Archives March 8-21, 2004
Literary heritage

Despite little, if any cooperation, Dawn Stinchcomb persisted and wound up publishing a book.

Most people would have given up when faced with the response that Dawn Stinchcomb got when she started her research in the Dominican Republic.

Quitting was never on Stinchcomb's agenda.

"I'm not a quitter," the assistant professor of foreign languages and literatures said. “"Anger is one of my best emotions. When I get angry I do my best work.

"They kept telling me that I couldn't do it," she continued. "I had to go back and finish the study for no other reason than I believe that Blas Jimenez is a great writer and that it was important to pull his and the voices of the others like his within the margins."

Jimenez is a Dominican Republic poet whose writings proudly affirm his black identity.

At least ninety percent of the population of the Dominican Republic is of African descent. But Stinchcomb found out that most of the general population and even the government denies that heritage.

During graduate school Stinchcomb was viewing a documentary on racism in Latin America. A portion of the documentary featured Jimenez and his experiences renewing his passport after returning from the United States.

"He tells the story of how he had to check his race on the passport application," Stinchcomb said. "He checked black but, even though he was obviously of African descent, the person at the passport office told him he couldn't be black and to go back and fill out the form correctly.

"I had never heard anything about this in Latin America - blacks who had to bury their blackness. This has contributed to a form of identity crisis in Dominican culture."

Stinchcomb's subsequent research indicated that the Dominican Republic's denial of its heritage dates back to the 1800s. The Dominican Republic is situated on an island with Haiti. The eastern portion of the island was colonized by the French, while the Spanish established a colony on what became the Dominican Republic.

In the 1800s, Haitian slaves overthrew the French landowners, killing most of them. Not wanting to meet the same fate, the Spanish white elite began a campaign of misinformation using literature as the mode of transmission.

"The white minority successfully convinced many blacks and others of African descent on the Dominican Republic side of the island that they didn't have anything in common with the blacks in Haiti," Stinchcomb said. "They compared the Haitians to barbarians and mass murderers with a strange religion.

"They created a myth that every person in the Dominican Republic had Spanish forefathers and an Indian mother. Most Dominicans still claim that their ethnic heritage is limited to the original Taino Indians and the Spanish to this day."

Stinchcomb has focused her research in her book on Dominican authors who embrace their African heritage. The University Press of Florida published her book, The Development of Literary Blackness in the Dominican Republic, earlier this year. Stinchcomb identifies and examines the role that race has played in the literature of the Dominican Republic.

But the path to the book wasn't an easy one for Stinchcomb. On her first trip to the country she was met with less than enthusiastic support for her work.

"That was a very depressing experience," she remembered. "I was looking for Afro-Dominican writers and everyone told me there was no such thing."

People would cancel interviews with her. She even had one person walk out during an interview.

When they thought that Stinchcomb was interested in canonical Dominican literature they were eager to discuss their work with her. But mention the work of Blas Jimenez and the discussions would stop. Blackness and Dominicanness are two very different things. Blackness opposes Dominican national identity.

"I would attend literary circles and I would bring up Blas' poetry and I was immediately silenced," she said.

A year later Stinchcomb returned to the island better prepared professionally and emotionally. She went to La Trinitaria, the country's capital's most important bookstore and literally spent days on the floor going through book after book by Dominican writers.

She also met with Jimenez and other Dominican authors proud of their African roots. These Afro-Dominican authors were writing their Afrocentric poetry before Blas Jimenez, but had been ignored because their national origins were not necessarily Dominican.

Stinchcomb's investigations revealed that despite the national rhetoric that denied the existence of blackness with Dominicanness, black writing did exist in the Dominican Republic.

The result was the concept of literary blackness and a book that Jimenez and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) would like to see published in Spanish and distributed in the Dominican Republic.

"I feel very proud of what I've done," she said. "I hope I have given a voice to people who have been ignored and haven't been recognized for what they have done and have inspired others to do work in the future about other Afro-Dominican authors."

©1998-2003 College of Liberal Arts and Sciences"

I have the following quesitons:

1) Do you feel the work of Dawn Stinchcomb was at all important?

2) Do you think the two sentences that I put in bold, are accurate?

3) Do you find any of the things mentioned in this article to be a problem, in the dominican republic?

[juancarlos]

Originally Posted by wventura

http://www.las.iastate.edu/newnews/stinchcomb0308.shtml







I have the following quesitons:

1) Do you feel the work of Dawn Stinchcomb was at all important?

2) Do you think the two sentences that I put in bold, are accurate?

3) Do you find any of the things mentioned in this article to be a problem, in the dominican republic?

What I see is that the article does not mention that the DR was invaded and occupied by Haiti. It simply talks about the revolt against the French and how dominican whites began a campaing of fear etc. etc. I think every people has the right to its own identity and we should respect that. We should not convince the mulatto majority that they should call themselves "blacks". Everyone knows that mulattoes are partially black. No one can deny that. It is also known that, in the DR, mulattoes also absorbed the genes from the surviving Tainos. Since I am not Dominican, I can not answer those questions. I just wanted to give my opinion. Afro-centrism and the notion of race- biological race- above everything, runs counter to the feelings of many Dominicans, I suppose. Only when blackness is presented, along with the white and native heritages, rather than making an ethno centric issue of it- will Dominicans accept it, because that's the way it should be. I repeat that I am guessing based on the opinions of Dominicans themselves and my limited experience with these issues. I hope Dominicans who are well versed on this subject or who have strong opinions, give their points of view.

[wventura]

Originally Posted by juancarlos

"I think every people has the right to its own identity and we should respect that.

Ok i guess that's fair enough.

We should not convince the mulatto majority that they should call themselves "blacks". Everyone knows that mulattoes are partially black.

Partially black???? No its more like they are partially white. The majority of the 'mulatto' dominicans, have a predominance of african ancestry. This is something that is incredibly obvious.

Also I dont think the article was implying that people should nessesarily identify as black, but just admit to being of african ancestry and be proud of that.

No one can deny that.

Actually thats what they deny, with the whole "indio" identity. Not even mullato but "indian". Something that dominicans are almost completely unrelated to.

Afro-centrism and the notion of race- biological race- above everything, runs counter to the feelings of many Dominicans, I suppose.

Maybe afro-centricism runs counter to the feeling of many domicans , but an emphasis on racial pride does not. Whiteness and "hispanidad" is what many people define as a crucial part of being dominican.

Only when blackness is presented, along with the white and native heritages, rather than making an ethno centric issue of it- will Dominicans accept it, because that's the way it should be.

I agree with this to a certain degree. But I think it is ironic that dominicans would only accept "blackness" when presented along with other ancestries, while the average dominican is more black than anything else.

[Oche]

I believe what one of the objectives of Mrs. Dawn Stinchcomb work was to somehow deny 500 hundred years of spanish culture heritage among the dominican population which is mostly composed of mulattoes by demonstrating and convincing that most of the population indeed has no spanish-white racial heritance. Now these mulattoes which compose the majority of the population, are well aware of their african ancestry, anyone who admits the opposite either is an extremely radical racist, doesn't know anything about dominican history or has never lived in the Dominican Republic.

In fact, i believe that the term "Afro-dominican", has no application whatsoever in dominican culture.

[platanomami23]

I have visited the Dominican Republic numerous times and met many Dominicans from all walks of life. I wrote a research paper last Fall concerning the difference between Antihatianismo and Racism regarding political figures and presidential campaigns. I interviewed Dominicans from a variety of classes, skin colors, etc. The majority of them did admit to having African ancestry, but their pride in being Dominican comes from that complex history and the development of the Dominican people.

The history of the oppression and threat from Haiti back in the early years of Dominican development and independence still has overtones today. Part of the reason for the negative views of Haitians or Blacks comes for the same reason many Americans would not choose to go into the ghettos. Higher levels of poverty and crime shape the opinion of this group of people. Most Dominicans never come in contact with middle or upper class Haitians and therefore can only base their views on what they see in the bateys and slums.

People should be able to identify with and feel pride in whatever part of their ancestry they want to. If they feel more culturally connected to one part of their ancestry, that is their choice. Yes, there is some denial and/or disregard in the D.R. of the Black influence on their culture, but the same exists in the US and many other places. There are mixed people who "pass" as white in many parts of the world. Our American/Western scale of only having White, Black and Biracial does not fully encompass the complexity and diversity of the Dominican people. My friends have Lebanese/Arabic, French, Spanish, Taino, British, and African ancestries, and for some of them one part may be more important than another, but in the end they all have a Dominican identity. My family is almost 100% German and luckily they came over to the US long before the problems that led up to WWI and WWII. However, I grew up here and feel American, not German-American. I am proud of my ancestry, but it is not the major part of who I am today. The same attitude should be allowed for Dominicans just to be proud of being Dominican, and not feeling pressured to feel proud of their African roots just because "they have a little black behind the ears". (a common Dominican saying).

[Oche]

Well said platanomami23, that's how really people should feel about their ancestry, at least that is how somewhat i feel about mine. I'm a dominican falling under the small "white" group, my ancestors were very much mixed (as many other dominicans regardless of skin color), so i think is really difficult to show pride for just one race group when you by true facts know that you are one truly blended specimen like most of other ethnic social groups around the world. I believe that if someone is ever troubled by knowing his/her race/ethnic group origin, once he/she knows his/her roots, they really rest the case.

[Pib]

Excellent post platanomami23. Is your paper, perchance, available online?

BTW, there is a ban on DR1 on racial and religious issues. Since this is supposed to be about "culture" I will allow it. As soon as there is any poo flinging I will be back with a very bad attitude.

[wventura]

Originally Posted by platanomami23

The majority of them did admit to having African ancestry, but their pride in being Dominican comes from that complex history and the development of the Dominican people.

Its funny that people of mostly (or at least half) african ancestry would have to admit to having african ancestry.

Part of the reason for the negative views of Haitians or Blacks comes for the same reason many Americans would not choose to go into the ghettos. Higher levels of poverty and crime shape the opinion of this group of people.

What??? I dont follow you. People choose not to live in the ghetto because they want to live better. That doesnt have anything to do with being black.

Dominicans have negative views of blacks because thats what they have been taught, its just generations of racism.

Most Dominicans never come in contact with middle or upper class Haitians and therefore can only base their views on what they see in the bateys and slums.

That would explain their views of haitians, but what about blackness in the dominican republic.

People should be able to identify with and feel pride in whatever part of their ancestry they want to. If they feel more culturally connected to one part of their ancestry, that is their choice.

You dont find it at all unsettling that people of mostly african ancestry (the majority), would sware that they are spanish, and indian?

Being part of the african diaspora is the LAST thing dominicans would ever consider as part of their ancestural identity.

Yes, there is some denial and/or disregard in the D.R. of the Black influence on their culture, but the same exists in the US and many other places.

SOME????? Are you serious?? What about the national "indio" identity. You're ignoring this. And this type of denial is certainly not as extreme in the united states. Its a rarity to find an american of african descent who ashamed of that, and denies that.

You will never find an american that looks of obvious african ancestry, sware that they are not. The dominican republic is filled with these people.

The same attitude should be allowed for Dominicans just to be proud of being Dominican, and not feeling pressured to feel proud of their African roots just because "they have a little black behind the ears". (a common Dominican saying).

a LITTLE black behind the ears???? I dont know what dominicans you have been around, but they certainly dont have a "little", its more like they have a little white behind the ears.

In addtion I find puzzling, that you find it wrong for dominicans (in which the average is of mostly african ancestry), to be pressured to be proud of their ancestry.

Lastly no one directly answered the questions from the my original post.

[wventura]

Originally Posted by Oche

In fact, i believe that the term "Afro-dominican", has no application whatsoever in dominican culture.

Why is that. Are you implying that there is no cultural aspect in the domican republic that is of african origin???

This is prooving the quote from the article that states:

"Blackness opposes Dominican national identity."

[Narcosis]

Originally Posted by wventura

Why is that. Are you implying that there is no cultural aspect in the domican republic that is of african origin???

This is prooving the quote from the article that states:

"Blackness opposes Dominican national identity."

Platanomami23's post was brilliant.

Ventura what you seem to not understand is that you are viewing this whole issue from an "African-American" viewpoint and not a Dominican's viewpoint.

Black Americans seem to have an obsession with identifing with Africa, why? What do they have in common with Africa? close to nothing, just because MOST not all of Africans are black?

What do you call a white or light-skinned Tunisian living in the US? African-American? For God sakes they are just a few miles from Sicily and practically have the same genetic backround, as well as most southern Europeans, they all have a little black behind the ear sort-of-speak.

Black is just a color. There are blacks in almost every country on earth each identifing themselves with their native country not with Africa, get over it. It is our culture that identifies us as a nation, a nation that has adopted more elements from Spain than from Africa. Our language our base religion and many of our customs. This island was founded by Spanairds not Africans.

BTW: Dominicans refer to "indio" as a color and not as identifing as being a Taino. The common depiction of one as being between black and white...