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Race and Ethnicity in DR
Question?
"I'm posting up this thread to see how everyone feels about
the racial demographics in DR, and some possible social
inequalities resulting there of."
What is the purpose of the question? DR seems to have a better blend of people more than anywhere I know in North America - where race is THE defining characater of a person - especially in america.
"I'm posting up this thread to see how everyone feels about
the racial demographics in DR, and some possible social
inequalities resulting there of."
What is the purpose of the question? DR seems to have a better blend of people more than anywhere I know in North America - where race is THE defining characater of a person - especially in america.
I'm not sure if I totolly understood your reply, but even though, race might be more of a defining factor in the US, I think there exists a, socially accepted, aura of racism and internalized racism.
So in turn, the purpose of this question is just to get everyone's opinion on the subject, just as you gave yours.
So in turn, the purpose of this question is just to get everyone's opinion on the subject, just as you gave yours.
Just to clarify, I am in no way trying to compare DR to the US,
I just want to get a feel for people's opinion or feelings about
ethnicity and racism within our own people, and the dominican gov't.
I myself was born in the US, my parents and the majority of my family has come from DR. I've been raised with the culture, and
I value it very much.
My experience with dominicans here in NY, and in DR, in terms of
ethnicity is that, many dominicans are afraid to recognize their
african ancestry or even mixed in Haitian blood. I myself am a son
of a light-skinned dominican woman, and a dark skinned dominican man. I do recognize or acknowledge my african ancestry, but unfortunately, i have noticed that others don't.
Sometimes I become fustrated and confused when, dominicans
here in NY, speak badly of the "blacks" here, yet they themselves
are obviously black.
It is to my understanding that at least 70% of domincans are mixed... please correct me if i'm wrong.
I just want to get a feel for people's opinion or feelings about
ethnicity and racism within our own people, and the dominican gov't.
I myself was born in the US, my parents and the majority of my family has come from DR. I've been raised with the culture, and
I value it very much.
My experience with dominicans here in NY, and in DR, in terms of
ethnicity is that, many dominicans are afraid to recognize their
african ancestry or even mixed in Haitian blood. I myself am a son
of a light-skinned dominican woman, and a dark skinned dominican man. I do recognize or acknowledge my african ancestry, but unfortunately, i have noticed that others don't.
Sometimes I become fustrated and confused when, dominicans
here in NY, speak badly of the "blacks" here, yet they themselves
are obviously black.
It is to my understanding that at least 70% of domincans are mixed... please correct me if i'm wrong.
I think a lot of the Dominican perspective on race and ethnicity has been formed in relationship to sharing an island with Haiti. People in the Dominican Republic may be unclear of their own racial identity, but they distinctly want to distance themselves from their Haitian neighbors who identify with their African origins.
Black is not beautiful in the Dominican Republic and issues of negritude are minimalized by calling the vast majority of mixed Dominicans "Indios." The actual racial breakdown in the D.R. is open to various figures, but common citations list about 10% white, 15% black, and 75% mixed. There is some good literature on the subject of Dominican race and ethnicity. Here are a few books on the subject you might find useful:
Why the Cock Fights by Michele Wucker
The Dominican People, 1850-1900: Notes for a Historical Sociology by H. Hoetink - a good book for understanding the formation of a Dominican national identity in the early years.
and, fairly new off the press<
Colouring the Nation: Race and Ethnicity in the Dominican Republic by David Howard. Below is a url with a review of the last book.
Http://www.signalbooks.co.uk/books/colouringthenati.html
Black is not beautiful in the Dominican Republic and issues of negritude are minimalized by calling the vast majority of mixed Dominicans "Indios." The actual racial breakdown in the D.R. is open to various figures, but common citations list about 10% white, 15% black, and 75% mixed. There is some good literature on the subject of Dominican race and ethnicity. Here are a few books on the subject you might find useful:
Why the Cock Fights by Michele Wucker
The Dominican People, 1850-1900: Notes for a Historical Sociology by H. Hoetink - a good book for understanding the formation of a Dominican national identity in the early years.
and, fairly new off the press<
Colouring the Nation: Race and Ethnicity in the Dominican Republic by David Howard. Below is a url with a review of the last book.
Http://www.signalbooks.co.uk/books/colouringthenati.html
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I haven't written a book (yet) but I'd like to emphasize that past clashes and takeovers between the DR and Haiti along with the influence that Trujillo had on racial demographics in DR have helped define some of the distance that exists between Dominicans and Haitians. In other words, to contradict some of my previous posts, It's not all black and white. There's a little bit of red (blood) and green (money) that helped in the fortification on our borders.
I agree with you Ambiorix, Trujillo definately helped set the grounds for a different mentality when it came to race.
As for the clashes between the two countries, I have heard many of our people refer to that, when asked about the tension between the two peoples, but I doubt that the discrimination many of us show to one another and the haitians has much to do with the colonial clashes of our late kin. I can't really see how people today would hold a grudge for that, or if they can honestly relate to what actually took place. I'm sure the haitian occupation of DR wasn't a pleasant experience for people in DR at the time, but Dominicans also went into Haiti constantly looking for slaves. As a Dominican I honor one of the Haitians original intentions to abolish slavery in the Island. Toussaint seems like a true hero, regardless of whether or not he was on "our" side.
As for the clashes between the two countries, I have heard many of our people refer to that, when asked about the tension between the two peoples, but I doubt that the discrimination many of us show to one another and the haitians has much to do with the colonial clashes of our late kin. I can't really see how people today would hold a grudge for that, or if they can honestly relate to what actually took place. I'm sure the haitian occupation of DR wasn't a pleasant experience for people in DR at the time, but Dominicans also went into Haiti constantly looking for slaves. As a Dominican I honor one of the Haitians original intentions to abolish slavery in the Island. Toussaint seems like a true hero, regardless of whether or not he was on "our" side.