Violence and Post-National Costa Rican Identity in Limón Reggae

Abstract

Anacristina Rossi’s novels have received critical attention relating to their presentation of pan-Caribbean identity and other challenges to the mythical national identity of the tico. Building on scholarship by Manizal and Kearns, I argue that Limón Reggae presents a representation of the post-national community and that the violent conditions that mark the protagonist’s life not only debunk the national myth of a peaceful Costa Rica, but also comment on the impossibility of belonging in the post-national community. The pain that the protagonist experiences as a result of her interpersonal relationships reflects the difficulty of forming a community after the bounds of the nation have become less defined by globalization, even to individuals who come from groups not traditionally included in the definition of a Costa Rican citizen, such as the protagonist. With the breakdown of categories of affiliation across lines of geography, race, language, and class, the protagonist is able to move easily between places and groups, but her encounters with ‘others’ are complicated by the post-national condition.