Identity construction in the Guinean Rivers of Cape Verde
Titel:
Identity construction in the Guinean Rivers of Cape Verde
Auteur:
Lopes, Carlos
Verschenen in:
African identities
Paginering:
Jaargang 3 (2005) nr. 1 pagina's 3-16
Jaar:
2005-04
Inhoud:
The article analyses the historical process of identity construction in the Guinean Rivers area of Cape Verde. The author uses the concept of power relations and the desires for inclusion/exclusion to help him define the evolving phenomena of identity construction in the region. The author analyses the concepts of ethnicity, culture, language, nation/nationalism, state, territory and space and how they pertain to the region at hand, in order to conceptually support his reasoning on the historical construction of identity. Moreover, the article characterizes the emergence of the four dominant identities in the area: Malinke, Kaabunke, Afro-Portuguese and Cape Verdean. The author describes the characteristics of each identity, points out the differences between them, as well as their specific power dynamics. The author concludes by exemplifying how miscegenation can transform space into entity and its importance in nation building. The inclusion/exclusion dynamic also serves as tool to demonstrate how the ever changing relations of power are determinant in explaining identity phenomena.
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