Uniting blacks in a raceless nation: Afro-Cuban reformulations ofAfrocubanismoandmestizajein 1930s Cuba

Abstract

This article examines discourses on Afrocubanismo and mestizaje in the writings of little studied 1930s black Cuban intellectuals. The point of departure of the analysis is historian Alejandro de la Fuente's argument that the 1930s Cuban movement of Afro-Cuban cultural revalorisation known as Afrocubanismo opened up opportunities for blacks to express their own visions of Cuban black culture and denounce racial inequalities. The article's introduction explains De la Fuente's argument in the context of his broader approach to Cuban black mobilisation in the aftermath of the Cuban historical episode known as the 1912 race war. It then highlights the need for a more thorough assessment of black Cuban reformulations of Afrocubanismo and mestizaje based on an analysis of essays and articles written by 1930s black Cuban intellectuals. The ensuing sections examine such writings with an emphasis on their treatment of José Martí, black and national identities and mestizaje. The conclusion provides a general assessment of the counter-hegemonic potential of the texts analysed and of the relevance of De la Fuente's perspective for the study of Afrocubanismo, with particular reference to two recent works of criticism.