The Root of It: Bringing Afrodescendencia to the Forefront of Identity and Culture in Teaching the Spanish-speaking Caribbean

Abstract: In Spanish language curricula, it is essential that we teach about afrodescendientes in Latin America and the Caribbean to present an inclusive representation of the diverse people, practices, and cultural products. Their perspectives and cultural products must be integrated in the curricula of Spanish undergraduate programs beyond the few notable figures whose work is included in widely used anthologies. By introducing students of Spanish to the significant population of afrodescendientes in regions of Latin America and the Caribbean even at the earliest levels, we enable them to understand ideologies of homogeneity that work against an awareness of diversity. The hope is that through critical readings and analyses, students become aware of the complexities of race, color, and class in the development of a nations' cultural identity. In examining the history, literature, and cultural productions, students analyze the role that equity, justice, and power play in Latin America and the Caribbean, where whiteness is privileged and Blacks continue to be marginalized, from the colonial period to the present day.