"El cuerpo se va, A Alma Fica": The Archipelagic Identities of Puerto Rico and Cabo Verde Through a Literary Lens Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

Despite being colonized by different empires and currently experiencing differing political statuses, Puerto Rico and Cabo Verde share parallel historical and cultural experiences, most notably, their experience with colonization and the fact that they are both archipelagos. This project examines the way in which literature is fundamental to understanding Puerto Rico and Cabo Verde’s creation of a national identity, and how literary works participate actively in this self-identification process. The string that thematically ties the four works I have chosen to analyze (Puerto Rico: Usmaíl and Spiks by Pedro Juan Soto; Cabo Verde: Chiquinho by Baltazar Lopes da Silva and Os Flagelados do Vento Leste by Manuel Lopes) is how colonization and the fact that both nations are archipelagos impact the characters’ sense of self. Scholars who work on questions of archipelagic studies have argued that colonization is the main cause of the issues that archipelagic nations like Puerto Rico and Cabo Verde experience, such as political dependence, blurred self-identity, and emigration. I’m interested in investigating how these issues are tackled in works of prose fiction in both Puerto Rico and Cabo Verde. The four literary works I have selected allow for an analysis of themes that are key for the formation of national identity in the case of archipelagic nations (e.g., the self vs. the other, the inevitability of emigration, archipelagic hierarchies).

Table of Contents

Awakening Identity 1

Chapter 1: Setting the Stage 6

Introduction 6

1.1 Historical Framework of Puerto Rico 8

1.1.1 The Birth of Puerto Rican Resistance 8

1.1.2 Puerto Rico as an Afterthought: A Recurrent Pattern 11

1.1.3 Puerto Rico Demands to Be Heard 13

1.1.4 Forging a Broader Identity: Africa’s Impact on Puerto Rican Culture 14

1.1.5 The Need for Autonomy 16

1.1.6 A New Colonizer 17

1.1.7 The Power of Unity, the Injustice of Subjugation 21

1.1.8 The Occupation of Vieques: Displacement, Racism, and Disease 22

1.1.9 It’s Time to Go: Puerto Ricans Forced to Abandon the Island 25

1.1.10 Political Stalemate: Yesterday’s and Today’s Plight 26

1.2 Historical Framework of Cabo Verde 28

1.2.1 The Portuguese Plant Their Flag 28

1.2.2 Cabo Verde: The Chess Piece of Portugal 29

1.2.3 Cape Verdeans Demand to Be Heard 30

1.2.4 Power at the Expense of Humanity 31

1.2.5 A Growing Population in Cabo Verde 33

1.2.6 The United States as a Lifeline 34

1.2.7 An Empire Against its Colonizer 35

1.2.8 The Era of the Claridosos 38

1.3 Theoretical Framework 41

1.3.1 Insularity to Archipelagic Studies: An Evolved Field 41

1.3.1.1 It’s the Island’s Fault (?) 41

1.3.1.2 Changing the Focus 43

1.3.1.3 Colonialism: The Common Denominator 44

1.3.1.4 The Struggle of Merging Identities 44

1.3.1.5 Islands as Obstacles to Success 46

1.3.1.6 Much More Than Just An Island 48

1.3.2 Diaspora 50

1.3.2.1 Puerto Rico Without Puerto Ricans, Cabo Verde Without Cape Verdeans 50

1.3.2.2 Who Am I Here? Who Am I There? 51

1.3.2.3 The Politics of Language 52

1.3.3 The Arts As Tools in Building a Nation 54

1.3.3.1 Echoing Voices: Representing Identity in Art 55

1.3.3.2 Literature: The Knot that Ties the Common Threads 57

Chapter 2: Exploring Self-Identity: The Justice in Resistance 59

2.1 The Self vs. The Other 62

2.1.1 Who Am I?: The Self in a Colonial Setting 62

2.1.2 Who Could I Be?: Perceptions of Life Outside the Archipelago 74

2.2 Inevitability of Emigration 82

2.2.1 Driving Forces: Causes of Emigration 83

2.2.2 Home Sweet Home (?): Attachment (Or Lack Thereof) to Archipelagic Spaces 93

2.3 Archipelagic Hierarchies 102

2.3.1 Dominant Island vs. Archipelago 103

2.3.2 The Goal Across the Water 115

2.4 The Convergence of Three Themes (Conclusion to Chapter 2) 119

Encore: How the Story Lives On 120

Works Cited 127

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Spanish and Portuguese
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Literature, Caribbean Literature, Romance Literature, African
Palavra-chave	Lusophone colonization literature Cape Verde Puerto Rico prose 1950s fiction Cabo Verde diaspora islands emigration archipelagos Hispanic identity
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Ana Catarina Teixeira, Emory University
Committee Members	Adriana Chira, Emory University Laura Juliana Torres-Rodríguez, Emory University

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