This book tells the compelling story of postemancipation Colombia; from the liberation of the slaves in the 1850s through the country's first general labor strikes in the 1910s. As Jason McGraw demonstrates; ending slavery fostered a new sense of citizenship; one shaped both by a model of universal rights and by the particular freedom struggles of African-descended people. Colombia's Caribbean coast was at the center of these transformations; in which women and men of color; the region's majority population; increasingly asserted the freedom to control their working conditions; fight in civil wars; and express their religious beliefs.The history of Afro-Colombians as principal social actors after emancipation; McGraw argues; opens up a new view on the practice and meaning of citizenship. Crucial to this conception of citizenship was the right of recognition. Indeed; attempts to deny the role of people of color in the republic occurred at key turning points exactly because they demanded public recognition as citizens. In connecting Afro-Colombians to national development; The Work of Recognition also places the story within the broader contexts of Latin American popular politics; culture; and the African diaspora.
#1213515 in Books 2016-10-17 2016-10-17Original language:English 9.25 x .31 x 6.50l; .4 #File Name: 1467117293128 pages
Review
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Grrat pic's little credit for EdselBy ron tartagliaOddly enough; this book didn't seem to give enough credit to Edsel Ford. He as the one behind the whole project. His father; Henry; was a reluctant participant.
