University Press of Florida The Politics of Race in Panama: Afro-Hispanic and West Indian Literary Discourses of Contention (Latin American and Caribbean Arts and Culture)

Review "A welcome contribution to studies of literature and race formation in Panama and the greater Caribbean and Latin American region."--Hispanic American Historical Review "An important contribution to Panamanian, Caribbean, Latin American, and black Diaspora literary history and criticism."--New West Indian Guide "A much-needed intervention. . . . It unsettles the simplistic fallacies that black Panamanian communities are divided by language, assimilation, and religion."--Small Axe "Synthesizes the work of nine Afro-Hispanic and West Indian authors. . . . A good introduction to the literature of race and integration in Panama."--Bulletin of Latin American Research Product Description Sonja Watson examines the writing of black Panamanian authors to reveal how race is defined, contested, and inscribed in Panama. She tells the story of two competing cultures: Afro-Hispanics whose an¬cestors came as slaves during the colonial period and West Indians whose families arrived more recently from English-speaking Carib¬bean countries to build the Panama Railroad and Panama Canal.While Afro-Hispanics assimilated after centuries of mestiza (race mixing) and now identify with their Spanish heritage, West Indians hold to their British Caribbean roots and identify more closely with Africa and the Caribbean. The literature discussed in this book displays the cultural, racial, and national tensions that prevent these two groups from forging a shared Afro-Panamanian identity. The Politics of Race in Panama shows why ethnically diverse Afro-descendant populations continue to struggle to create racial unity in nations across Latin America. About the Author Sonja Stephenson Watson is assistant professor of Spanish at the University of Texas at Arlington.