The Work of Recognition : Caribbean Colombia and the Postemancipation Struggle for Citizenship

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. The Work Of Recognition Is The First Comprehensive History Of African-descended Colombians During The Postemancipation Period. Jason Mcgraw Chronicles The History Of Afro-colombians--particularly Along The Caribbean Coast Of Colombia, Where The African-descended Populations Were Concentrated--beginning With Final Emancipation In The 1850s And Ending With The Country's First General Labor Strike In 1918. Revealing A Number Of Previously Little Known Labor Struggles Beginning As Early As 1857, Including A Strike Staged By Magdalena River Boatmen, Which May Have Been The First Strike In Colombian History, Mcgraw Demonstrates That Afro-colombians Were Principal Actors In The Post-slavery Labor Environment During These Years. He Argues That Comprehending Their Historical Role Opens Up A New View On The Practice And Meaning Of Modern Citizenship And The Crucial Concept Of Recognition As Central To The Assumption Of Citizenship Status. Challenging The Historical Erasure Of Afro-colombians, Mcgraw Demonstrates That, After Slavery, The Historical Denial Of The Role Of Black Workers In The Republic Occurred At Key Turning Points Exactly When And Because They Demanded Recognition As Citizens. Connecting The History Of Black Colombians To National Development, Mcgraw Also Places The Story Within The Broader Contexts Of Latin American Popular Politics, Religion, And The African Diaspora--provided By Publisher. The Emancipatory Moment -- Revolution Of The People, War Of The Races -- The Freedom Of Industry And Labor -- The Lettered Republic -- The Rise And Fall Of Popular Politics -- A Hungry People Struggles -- Class War Of A Thousand Days -- Epilogue. Jason Mcgraw. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. 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.