Slavery and its 21st Consequences
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
Spanish with K-12 Certification
Minor
None
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Dr. Ben Post
Presentation Format
Oral Presentation
Abstract/Description
Cuba, the United States, and Brazil all have a shared heritage in the transatlantic trafficking of African slaves and the emancipation of those enslaved peoples. Post-emancipation and the 20th century decisions made by each country contributed to the way each society sees itself and outsiders see them. The image that popularizes Cuba and Brazil as multi-racial paradises and images of the U.S. as a racist nation have been continuing for decades. Despite these images, all of these countries have distinct histories and all factor into the contemporary society. Though each country chose different strategies in order to integrate the descendants of the slaves into mainstream society, they still face underrepresentation in each society and experience racism towards their communities. Reviewing the works of scholars and documentary interviews with those who reside in each country will provide a comparison and contrast. Furthermore, this paper will contribute to the ongoing debate of which country had a better strategy of integrating the descendants of the liberated slaves and which community is better off.
Affiliations
Modern Languages Senior Colloquium
Slavery and its 21st Consequences
Cuba, the United States, and Brazil all have a shared heritage in the transatlantic trafficking of African slaves and the emancipation of those enslaved peoples. Post-emancipation and the 20th century decisions made by each country contributed to the way each society sees itself and outsiders see them. The image that popularizes Cuba and Brazil as multi-racial paradises and images of the U.S. as a racist nation have been continuing for decades. Despite these images, all of these countries have distinct histories and all factor into the contemporary society. Though each country chose different strategies in order to integrate the descendants of the slaves into mainstream society, they still face underrepresentation in each society and experience racism towards their communities. Reviewing the works of scholars and documentary interviews with those who reside in each country will provide a comparison and contrast. Furthermore, this paper will contribute to the ongoing debate of which country had a better strategy of integrating the descendants of the liberated slaves and which community is better off.