Bilingualism, Blackness, and Belonging

About This Research

The text builds on the discussion of the balancing of multiple languages by Latin-American descended populations, identifying race as “a factor in Afro-Latin American cultural producers’ decisions about which language to use and when.”

The specific use of language by certain public figures in their work reflects their community’s migration history, as well as displaying their right to a national belonging while still connecting themselves to broader racial and cultural identities. Panamanian-West Indian individuals and culture are added to the text as case studies.