Playing and eating democracy: The Case of Puerto Rico¿s land distribution program, 1940s¿1960s
Title:
Playing and eating democracy: The Case of Puerto Rico¿s land distribution program, 1940s¿1960s
Author:
García Colón, Ismael
Appeared in:
Centro journal
Paging:
Volume XVIII (2006) nr. 2 pages 167-189
Year:
2006
Contents:
In the early 1940s, the colonial government of Puerto Rico with the consent of the U.S. federal government began to elaborate a land reform. Under Title Vof the Land Law of 1941, the government established resettlement communities for landless families. One of their goals was to transform landless agricultural workers into an industrial and urban labor force by teaching them ¿democratic, industrial, and modern¿ habits. Government officials distributed land to landless families through lotteries, portraying the ceremonies as acts of democracy. Community education programs produced literature, films, and posters aimed at fostering development and political participation. The colonial state intended to mold landless workers into new citizens but land distribution and its effects over the population were uneven, disorganized, and sometimes contradictory. Landless workers and residents of land distribution communities maneuvered within, escaped from, and shaped those government policies
Publisher:
City University of New York : Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños (provided by DOAJ)
Journal description