Race and Politics in the Dominican Republic

Ernesto Sagas examines the historical development and political use ofantihaitianismo a set of racist and xenophobic attitudes prevalent today inthe Dominican R... » 

Ernesto Sagas examines the historical development and political use ofantihaitianismo a set of racist and xenophobic attitudes prevalent today inthe Dominican Republic that broadly portray Dominican people as whiteCatholics while Haitians are viewed as spiritworshipping black Africans. Morethan just a ploy to generate patriotism and rally against a neighboringcountry the ideology also is used by Dominican leaders to divide their ownlower classes.Sagas looks at the notions of race held by Dominican elites in their creationof an imaginary white nation particularly as the ideas were developedthroughout the colonial era then intellectually refined in the late 19thcentury and later exalted to a state ideology during the Trujillo era.Finally he examines how race and nationalist antiHaitian feelings still aremanipulated by conservative politicians and elites who seek to maintain thestatus quo drawing on examples from recent political rhetoric and cartoonscampaign advertisements and public school history textbooks.The first booklength study of antihaitianismo this work offers importantlessons for studying racial and ethnic conflict as well as nationalism andcomparative politics. «