Maximizing Citizenship with Minimal Representation

120 Pages·2015·1.7 MB·English

UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff SSoouutthh FFlloorriiddaa
DDiiggiittaall CCoommmmoonnss @@ UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff
SSoouutthh FFlloorriiddaa
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations USF Graduate Theses and Dissertations
January 2013
MMaaxxiimmiizziinngg CCiittiizzeennsshhiipp wwiitthh MMiinniimmaall RReepprreesseennttaattiioonn:: AAnn AAnnaallyyssiiss
ooff AAffrroo--AArrggeennttiinnee CCiivviill SSoocciieettyy OOrrggaanniizziinngg SSttrraatteeggiieess
Prisca Suarez
University of South Florida, [email protected]
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd
Part of the Latin American Studies Commons, Political Science Commons, and the Race, Ethnicity and
Post-Colonial Studies Commons
SScchhoollaarr CCoommmmoonnss CCiittaattiioonn
Suarez, Prisca, "Maximizing Citizenship with Minimal Representation: An Analysis of Afro-Argentine Civil
Society Organizing Strategies" (2013). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/4781
This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the USF Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Digital
Commons @ University of South Florida. It has been accepted for inclusion in USF Tampa Graduate Theses and
Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ University of South Florida. For more
information, please contact [email protected].
Maximizing Citizenship with Minimal Representation: An Analysis of Afro-Argentine Civil

Society Organizing Strategies

by

Prisca Suárez

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Arts
Institute for the Study of Latin American and the Caribbean
with a Concentration in Government and International Affairs
College of Arts and Sciences
University of South Florida

Major Professor: Bernd Reiter, Ph.D.
Rachel May, Ph.D.
Elizabeth Hordge-Freemnan, Ph.D.

Date of Approval:
July 5, 2013

Keywords: Argentina, Democracy, Afro-Latin America, Agency,
Diaspora Studies

Copyright © 2013, Prisca Suárez
DEDICATION

Dedico este trabajo al pueblo afroargentino y a la Cátedra Libre de Estudios Afroargentinos y
Afrodescendientes de la Universidad Nacional de la Plata que me acogieron con los brazos
abiertos, que me dio recursos infinitos, y que sigue luchando por el mejoramiento de la comunidad
afroargentina.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

As I close another chapter of my life, I must acknowledge first and foremost those who
have been there for me through every moment thus far. I have been blessed with the most amazing,
inspiring, and encouraging family a student or any person could ever ask for. My mother, Barbara
Davis-Gayles, has literally sacrificed everything so that I could choose my own success. My
siblings Ellora, James, Nicole, Joche, Grace, and Jacob have inspired me with their own ambitions
to whole heartedly pursue my own. And in moments of doubt they have always rescued me with
laughter and friendship rarely shared among siblings. And my father, James Gayles, I acknowledge
for seeing everything that I do as art.
I also would not be where I am today without my friends. With unconditional support they
have always pushed me to complete this very special goal and rewarded me with pick me ups (too
many I might add) along the way. They are many and each as important to me as family: Erin,
Saumya, Rachel, Phenix, Laura, Colleen, Sabrina, Jules, Casey, Albert, Justin, Josh, Scott,
Amanda, and Cristal. Thank you for all the support.
I wish to especially thank Mabel Durán-Sánchez and Brandon Huson for unending hours
of copy editing and "you can do its” in the final days of desperation and Brandon for putting up
with me through it all.
Last but most certainly not least I wish to thank my professional family. My supervisor in
Argentina, Augusto Pérez Guarnieri, gave me countless resources and approached the topic of
Afro-Argentines with so much passion that in no moment did I ever feel alone in my interests. My
departmental director, Dr. Rachel May, introduced me to the topic when I wondered if I could
study in Argentina while studying the black diaspora. She has also provided unconditional
encouragement and believed in my scholastic abilities even when I did not. My academic advisor,
Paula Lezama, stayed on top of me from the moment I entered the program and provided food
therapy along the way in a manner that I could never pay back. Olga Atehortua, our office manager,
always had the words of wisdom or the smile to melt stress away. Dr. Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman
also provided useful sources and theory and believed in my interests like no other professor has.
And Dr. Bernd Reiter, my major professor, was never without an author, book, or theory for me
to consider. Whether as a student in one of his classes or as a result of stopping by his office no
person contributed more to my intellectual growth while obtaining my Master’s degree as did he.
I undoubtedly have left someone out so I wish to acknowledge all who have shaped my life
these last two years and by extension my thesis.
With eternal gratitude,

Prisca
TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ iii

List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. iv

Abstract ............................................................................................................................................v

Chapter 1
Introduction ..............................................................................................................................1
No blacks in Argentina?.................................................................................................1
Importance of study .......................................................................................................3
Black Diasporic Studies .................................................................................................3
A note on Positionality...................................................................................................6
Research Design & Methodology ..................................................................................7
Concepts and Definitions ..............................................................................................9
Organization of the Thesis ...........................................................................................12

Chapter 2
Retracing the Mysterious Disappearance of Afro-Argentines ................................................14
Introduction ..................................................................................................................14
A Concise History of Colonial Afro-Argentina: Slavery to 1900 ...............................15
Whitening: Sarmiento and the Plan for Progress and Civilization ..............................21
Eugenics in Latin America: the Europeanization of the Western Hemisphere ...........25
Tango Negro, Argentina Blanca: Tracing the Black Roots of a “White” Dance
Form .............................................................................................................................28
Hidden in Plain Sight: Reappropriated Blackness in the Popular Music of the
Twentieth Century .......................................................................................................31
The Impact of “The Process” on Mobilization in Argentina in the 1970s and 80s .....34
Contemporary State of Afro-Argentines ......................................................................37
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................39

Chapter 3
An Argument for Civil Society as a Viable Method for Discursive Engagement
with Hegemonic Actors ..........................................................................................................43
Introduction ..................................................................................................................43
Racial Hegemony: Mythology as Common Sense ......................................................44
Universal Rights versus Multicultural Rights: Where do Afro-Argentines fit in? ......45
i
Communicative Action ................................................................................................49
On Civil Society ...........................................................................................................50
Revisiting the Theories of Racial Hegemony, Communicative Action, and
Civil Society.................................................................................................................60
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................63

Chapter 4
Examples of the Organizing Strategies of Three Afro-Argentine Civil Society
Organizations ..........................................................................................................................64
Introduction ..................................................................................................................64
Black Mobilization in Argentina .................................................................................66
Agrupación XANGÔ ...................................................................................................67
Asociación Misibamba: Comunidad Afroargentina de Buenos Aires .........................69
Casa de la Cultura Indo-Afro-Americana ....................................................................71
Discursive Strategies of Afro-Argentine Civil Society ...............................................72
Government Response to Afro-Argentine Civil Society Initiatives ............................76
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................83

Chapter 5
Conclusion ..............................................................................................................................84
Afro-Argentines: The Journey from Enslaved to Invisible to Enlightened .................84
Policy Implications ......................................................................................................85
Possible Future Research .............................................................................................87

Appendix ........................................................................................................................................89

References ......................................................................................................................................99

ii
LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: The Role of Civil Society in Racialized Nations ...........................................................61
Figure 2: Percentage of Afrodescendants in Latin American Countries .......................................89
Figure 3: Slavery After Emancipation: 1865 Classified ad to sell a housemaid ...........................90
Figure 4: Blackface caricature: The jazz band of the Compañía Argentina de Broadcasting .......91
Figure 5: Lois Blue (Lucy Bolognini Míguez) in “Blackface.”....................................................92
Figure 6: Logo of Casa de la Cultura Indo-Afro-Americana. .......................................................93
Figure 7: Afrodescendants on Page 1 of 2010 Argentine National Census ...................................94
Figure 7: Plaque in the city center Plaza in Santa Fe .....................................................................95

iii
LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Outcomes of Citizen Engagement ...................................................................................82

iv
ABSTRACT

This thesis examines the organizing strategies and successes of Afro-Argentine civil
society organizations (CSO) in Buenos Aires. I argue that despite low representation, Afro-
Argentines have strategically designed their initiatives in ways that draw on national discourses of
identity rights and nationalism; and, as well, have used cultural inclusion to influence state actors,
creating agency and increasing visibility. Afro-Argentines are a highly understudied population
due to the common belief that they do not exist in Argentina as a group. This thesis not only dispels
that myth with a history of the long hidden importance of Afro-Argentines contributions to the
formation of the Argentine nation and culture, but also provides a contemporary analysis which
shows that they are a vibrant group which faces marginalization and exclusion on a daily basis.
The central argument is that civil society is a viable method by which Afro-Argentines can
combat institutionalized racism. I show this with an analysis of the various theories on civil society,
focusing strongly on Putnam’s (1996) argument that strong voluntary organizations are vital to
making democracy work. This assessment lends to the argument that civil society places Afro-
Argentines in a discursive space in which they can communicate with state actors to make claims
for cultural and citizenship rights. This argument is followed with concrete examples which show
that the successful organizing of three Afro-Argentine CSOs in Buenos Aires have increased the
visibility and agency of the Afro-Argentine community.
v