The Relationship Between Dominican Republic And Haiti
Since history does not exist as a separate, unconnected entity, Hispaniola’s past European interactions has had lasting effects on the racial identification of The Dominican Republic and Haiti. Instead of focusing on 20th century history, such as the rule of the brutal Dominican dictator Rafael Truijo, European imperialism established the foundation for European affluence in Hispaniola, shaping the 20th and 21st century society.
The mulatto population, mix race, was a result of Spanish and African interactions, creating a pigmentocracy in Hispaniola. After the Haitian slave revolt in 1804, social barriers between Europeans and Africans began to dissolve, leading to a rise in interracial relationships between the Spanish and Africans (Torres-Saillant …show more content…
A deracialized conscious, a term coined by Anthropologist Silvio Torres-Saillant, is used to describe Dominican’s neglection of African heritage to embrace Spanish heritage (9). Instead of associating with the African race, they chose to identify as Spanish, in contrast to Haitians (Gates 1). The reasons for such self-identification can be linked to its historical context. The mulatto population created under Spanish rule gave Dominicans societal privilege, having lighter skin color than Haitians. Moreover, the Dominican Revolution against Haiti in 1844, caused Dominicans to disassociate with Haitian, perceiving them as inferior (McDaniel University 3). A question survey presented by McDaniel University found that Dominicans and Haitians make strict distinctions between their racial identity in opposition of each other. “Are Dominican people Black? Ask that to a Dominican person and you might get cursed out . . . [A]acknowledgement of one’s Blackness is perceived by many Dominican people as an irrational confession and sometimes an unforgivable betrayal, for to be Black in the Dominican Republic is to be the antithesis of Dominican national identity, to be anti-Dominican, in other words, to be an ‘inferior’ Black Haitian” (McDaniel University 5). Dominicans neglect their African identity as opposed to Haitians. Dominican’s mulatto
The mulatto population, mix race, was a result of Spanish and African interactions, creating a pigmentocracy in Hispaniola. After the Haitian slave revolt in 1804, social barriers between Europeans and Africans began to dissolve, leading to a rise in interracial relationships between the Spanish and Africans (Torres-Saillant …show more content…
A deracialized conscious, a term coined by Anthropologist Silvio Torres-Saillant, is used to describe Dominican’s neglection of African heritage to embrace Spanish heritage (9). Instead of associating with the African race, they chose to identify as Spanish, in contrast to Haitians (Gates 1). The reasons for such self-identification can be linked to its historical context. The mulatto population created under Spanish rule gave Dominicans societal privilege, having lighter skin color than Haitians. Moreover, the Dominican Revolution against Haiti in 1844, caused Dominicans to disassociate with Haitian, perceiving them as inferior (McDaniel University 3). A question survey presented by McDaniel University found that Dominicans and Haitians make strict distinctions between their racial identity in opposition of each other. “Are Dominican people Black? Ask that to a Dominican person and you might get cursed out . . . [A]acknowledgement of one’s Blackness is perceived by many Dominican people as an irrational confession and sometimes an unforgivable betrayal, for to be Black in the Dominican Republic is to be the antithesis of Dominican national identity, to be anti-Dominican, in other words, to be an ‘inferior’ Black Haitian” (McDaniel University 5). Dominicans neglect their African identity as opposed to Haitians. Dominican’s mulatto