Abstract
This article critiques the idea of Puerto Rico as a raceless nation by tracing its sources and looking at the discourses of intellectual and political elites during the “nation-building” process in the first half of the twentieth century, discourses in which race was generally either distorted or overlooked. I first analyze three incidents in which black Puerto Ricans were denied entrance to elite social clubs in San Juan because of their race. These events suggest that the racelessness idea was intertwined with actual discriminatory practices and a broad structural racism. Second, I examine the role of academic and cultural institutions such as the University of Puerto Rico, the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriquena, and the Division de Educacion para la Comunidad in promoting the notion of racelessness. That can be seen as part of a broad denial of racial discrimination in the attempt to forge Puerto Rico as a white nation.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call