Danielle Clealand | Florida International University (original) (raw)
Papers by Danielle Clealand
Annual Review of Political Science
Racial disparities in Latin America exist in poverty levels, income, education, infant mortality,... more Racial disparities in Latin America exist in poverty levels, income, education, infant mortality, political representation, access to social services, and other key indicators. However, researchers in comparative politics face an uphill challenge to prioritize racial politics in studies of democratization, democratic consolidation, representation, and even social movements and inequality, despite racial hierarchies being quite harmful to democracy in Latin America. This article argues for the centering of Black politics and racial hierarchies in Latin American politics and highlights recent literature to map just how that can be done. More than adding race as a variable or a control, we must understand racial identification and anti-Black racism in Latin America: how they operate, and how they influence, complicate, motivate, affirm, and inspire politics. In this article, I address ( a) why we should center racial politics in Latin American politics, ( b) how comparative racial scho...
Oxford Scholarship Online, 2017
Chapter 3 discusses racial democracy and black activism prior to 1959, during the Cuban Republic.... more Chapter 3 discusses racial democracy and black activism prior to 1959, during the Cuban Republic. The historical foundations of racial ideology in Cuba offer critical information about how the revolution developed its racial discourse. Racial ideology during this period was a dominant narrative, but was not institutionalized to prohibit discussion of racism. Consequently, this period saw the development of an above-ground black voice represented through associations, clubs, press, and a black political party. These voices were silenced by the revolution and the chapter chronicles an important history of black activism and expression that was relegated to the private sphere after 1959.
Oxford Scholarship Online, 2017
Chapter 8 analyzes how components of Cuban racial ideology influence black consciousness and iden... more Chapter 8 analyzes how components of Cuban racial ideology influence black consciousness and identity formation. The data in this chapter add to the information we have about what underground racial consciousness and dialogue looks like among blacks. The chapter argues that although racial democracy has been successful in creating a perception of equality and decreased saliency of race, black consciousness continues to exist and racial identity is quite significant to blacks in their daily lives. The experience of discrimination, the presence of racism, and perceptions of being undervalued in Cuban society heighten the saliency of race and have a direct relationship to how blacks view their own identity and their connection to other blacks. At the same time, the dominant racial ideology promoted by the state is paramount to how blacks view social and political realities and their racial implications.
Oxford Scholarship Online, 2017
Chapter 8 analyzes how components of Cuban racial ideology influence black consciousness and iden... more Chapter 8 analyzes how components of Cuban racial ideology influence black consciousness and identity formation. The data in this chapter add to the information we have about what underground racial consciousness and dialogue looks like among blacks. The chapter argues that although racial democracy has been successful in creating a perception of equality and decreased saliency of race, black consciousness continues to exist and racial identity is quite significant to blacks in their daily lives. The experience of discrimination, the presence of racism, and perceptions of being undervalued in Cuban society heighten the saliency of race and have a direct relationship to how blacks view their own identity and their connection to other blacks. At the same time, the dominant racial ideology promoted by the state is paramount to how blacks view social and political realities and their racial implications.
Anthurium A Caribbean Studies Journal
The wave of migrants that arrived in South Florida from Mariel is a familiar story among Cubans, ... more The wave of migrants that arrived in South Florida from Mariel is a familiar story among Cubans, but popular and scholarly understandings of the exodus still exist without sufficient regard for how race mattered for who would be sponsored by families, who would be able to assimilate, and who would benefit from the Cuban enclave. Our essay shows, through oral histories, that Black Mariel migrants were less likely to find jobs and housing and experienced marginalization at higher levels than white Mariel migrants, most often from fellow white Cubans. Our narration centers racial identity in the analysis in ways that depart from much of the literature on the Mariel migration by not only freeing Black stories and perspectives, but recognizing that whiteness, even among a stigmatized group, must be considered. We bring Black people into the story of this migration, not just as a part of racial statistics and stigma, but as people whose real-life experiences remain largely hidden. In this way, we not only show how they were excluded, but celebrate community building and strategies to overcome exclusion.
Anthurium A Caribbean Studies Journal
The wave of migrants that arrived in South Florida from Mariel is a familiar story among Cubans, ... more The wave of migrants that arrived in South Florida from Mariel is a familiar story among Cubans, but popular and scholarly understandings of the exodus still exist without sufficient regard for how race mattered for who would be sponsored by families, who would be able to assimilate, and who would benefit from the Cuban enclave. Our essay shows, through oral histories, that Black Mariel migrants were less likely to find jobs and housing and experienced marginalization at higher levels than white Mariel migrants, most often from fellow white Cubans. Our narration centers racial identity in the analysis in ways that depart from much of the literature on the Mariel migration by not only freeing Black stories and perspectives, but recognizing that whiteness, even among a stigmatized group, must be considered. We bring Black people into the story of this migration, not just as a part of racial statistics and stigma, but as people whose real-life experiences remain largely hidden. In this way, we not only show how they were excluded, but celebrate community building and strategies to overcome exclusion.
In The Power of Race in Cuba, Danielle Pilar Clealand analyzes racial ideologies that negate the ... more In The Power of Race in Cuba, Danielle Pilar Clealand analyzes racial ideologies that negate the existence of racism and their effect on racial progress and activism through the lens of Cuba. Since 1959, Fidel Castro and the Cuban government have married socialism and the ideal of racial harmony to create a formidable ideology that is an integral part of Cuba ns'sense of identity and their perceptions of race and racism in their country. While the combination of socialism and a colorblind racial ideology is particular to Cuba, strategies that paint a picture of equality of opportunity and deflect the importance of race are not particular to the island's ideology and can be found throughout the world, and in the Americas, in particular. The Power of Race in Cuba gives a nuanced portrait of black identity in Cuba, based on survey data and interviews with formal organizers and hip hop artists.
Danielle Pilar Clealand: Uncovering Blackness: Racial Ideology and Black Consciousness in Contemp... more Danielle Pilar Clealand: Uncovering Blackness: Racial Ideology and Black Consciousness in Contemporary Cuba (Under the Direction of Jonathan Hartlyn) Racial ideology in Cuba, which negates the importance and effects of race and a racial hierarchy, gained significant legitimacy at the start of the Cuban Revolution due to increased levels of equality and the initial commitment by the Revolution to eradicate racism and racial discrimination. Racism was declared to be solved and race was subsequently erased from the public script two years after its triumph in 1959. This project determines 1) how the ideology of racial harmony and Cuban socialism join to create a racial ideology that often succeeds in reducing the salience of race for Cubans, particularly among the revolution‟s supporters 2) how this racial ideology affects identity formation, racial consciousness and racial attitudes among blacks as it interacts with visible racial disparities and 3) the trajectory that black politics ...
Racial ideology in Cuba rests on the notion that racial mixing, or mestizaje, has created harmoni... more Racial ideology in Cuba rests on the notion that racial mixing, or mestizaje, has created harmonious race relations and an absence of racism or racial hierarchy. This, accompanied with a national silence on issues of race and racism prevent a collective evaluation of the implications of anti-black racism. This paper examines the role of racial ideology in shaping Cubans’ racial attitudes. Within this context, it also highlights the existence of anti-black sentiment among whites despite a dominant ideology that suggests otherwise. Through survey and interview data I find that amidst an anti-racist culture or national etiquette, crude expressions of racism continue to thrive without much rebuke because all Cubans possess anti-racist attitudes and do not need to curb or reflect on racist language or actions.
Journal of Latin American Studies
Cuban emigration in the post-Soviet period has largely been attributed to economic motivations, b... more Cuban emigration in the post-Soviet period has largely been attributed to economic motivations, but without significant racial analysis. Moreover, little is known about how black Cubans on the island think about emigration. It is therefore imperative to re-examine how blacks, once cited as the Cuban Revolution's loyalists, make decisions today about remaining in Cuba and/or pursuing economic security outside of its borders. Using original survey data of black Cubans on the island, I find that economic motivations are prominent among black Cubans, but that these motivations can be multifaceted. In a study of black Cubans and emigration, the issue of increasing racial inequality and racial exclusion has significant influence on economic opportunity, which in turn influences the desire to leave Cuba to achieve economic and professional success. The results have implications for the ways in which we analyse migration throughout the Latin American region, where race has not been fact...
Politics, Groups, and Identities
The Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics
Oxford Scholarship Online
The Power of Race in Cuba analyzes racial ideologies that negate the existence of racism and thei... more The Power of Race in Cuba analyzes racial ideologies that negate the existence of racism and their effect on racial progress and activism through the lens of Cuba. Since 1959, Fidel Castro and the Cuban government have married socialism and the ideal of racial harmony to create a formidable ideology that is an integral part of Cubans’ sense of identity and their perceptions of race and racism in their country. While the combination of socialism and a colorblind racial ideology is particular to Cuba, strategies that paint a picture of equality of opportunity and deflect the importance of race are not particular to the island’s ideology and can be found throughout the world and in the Americas in particular. By promoting an anti-discrimination ethos, diminishing class differences at the onset of the revolution, and declaring the end of racism, Castro was able to unite belief in the revolution to belief in the erasure of racism. The ideology is bolstered by rhetoric that discourages ra...
Oxford Scholarship Online
The last chapter of the book, chapter 9, takes a look at formal or above-ground expressions of ra... more The last chapter of the book, chapter 9, takes a look at formal or above-ground expressions of racial consciousness in Cuba and the development of a space, albeit a small one, for racial dialogue on the island. The chapter looks at organizations that were created after the political opening in the 1990s to address issues of discrimination, and how their focus and influence affect the debate that is beginning to circulate around race. It also highlights how the hip-hop movement, one of the most important and far-reaching messengers of black consciousness in Cuba, uses music to insert a new racial rhetoric into the public sphere that has not been heard prior to this period. Finally, the chapter joins the under- and above-ground components of black consciousness to show that black public opinion regarding organization and activism often aligns with what elites and writing about in the public sphere.
Oxford Scholarship Online
Chapter 4 demonstrates how the unification of racial democracy and socialism creates a racial ide... more Chapter 4 demonstrates how the unification of racial democracy and socialism creates a racial ideology in Cuba that is distinct from other Latin American countries. By supporting racial democracy at the start of the revolution and officially declaring the end of racism, the government ensured that the influence of racial democracy in Cuba is particularly strong. The initial advances that the revolution was able to make provided a formidable claim by the government that race was no longer relevant. The economic crisis that followed the fall of the Soviet Union marked the first serious challenge to racial ideology in Cuba. The chapter examines the change in rhetoric among the leadership and how ideological discourse was adjusted during this time, and outlines the various theoretical components of racial ideology. Interviews are included to show how support for the revolution is tied to racial attitudes and belief in Cuban racial democracy.
Oxford Scholarship Online
Chapter 1 examines racial ideology and how racial democracy works in Cuba. The revolution, throug... more Chapter 1 examines racial ideology and how racial democracy works in Cuba. The revolution, throughout its decades, has reinforced the ideology of racial democracy and in doing so, has created a set of norms that guide much of the thinking and doing around race and racism in Cuba. These norms are silence regarding racism; anti-racialism; and an understanding of racism as racial prejudice, rather than systemic racism embedded in the country’s institutions. The ideology of racial democracy or racial harmony serves to legitimate the racial status quo by trivializing racial hierarchies or refuting them completely. Consequently the ideology has created, over time, standard ways of perceiving race, or racial norms. In addition to racial norms, the chapter also discusses racial categorization in Cuba and its relationship to racial ideology.
Annual Review of Political Science
Racial disparities in Latin America exist in poverty levels, income, education, infant mortality,... more Racial disparities in Latin America exist in poverty levels, income, education, infant mortality, political representation, access to social services, and other key indicators. However, researchers in comparative politics face an uphill challenge to prioritize racial politics in studies of democratization, democratic consolidation, representation, and even social movements and inequality, despite racial hierarchies being quite harmful to democracy in Latin America. This article argues for the centering of Black politics and racial hierarchies in Latin American politics and highlights recent literature to map just how that can be done. More than adding race as a variable or a control, we must understand racial identification and anti-Black racism in Latin America: how they operate, and how they influence, complicate, motivate, affirm, and inspire politics. In this article, I address ( a) why we should center racial politics in Latin American politics, ( b) how comparative racial scho...
Oxford Scholarship Online, 2017
Chapter 3 discusses racial democracy and black activism prior to 1959, during the Cuban Republic.... more Chapter 3 discusses racial democracy and black activism prior to 1959, during the Cuban Republic. The historical foundations of racial ideology in Cuba offer critical information about how the revolution developed its racial discourse. Racial ideology during this period was a dominant narrative, but was not institutionalized to prohibit discussion of racism. Consequently, this period saw the development of an above-ground black voice represented through associations, clubs, press, and a black political party. These voices were silenced by the revolution and the chapter chronicles an important history of black activism and expression that was relegated to the private sphere after 1959.
Oxford Scholarship Online, 2017
Chapter 8 analyzes how components of Cuban racial ideology influence black consciousness and iden... more Chapter 8 analyzes how components of Cuban racial ideology influence black consciousness and identity formation. The data in this chapter add to the information we have about what underground racial consciousness and dialogue looks like among blacks. The chapter argues that although racial democracy has been successful in creating a perception of equality and decreased saliency of race, black consciousness continues to exist and racial identity is quite significant to blacks in their daily lives. The experience of discrimination, the presence of racism, and perceptions of being undervalued in Cuban society heighten the saliency of race and have a direct relationship to how blacks view their own identity and their connection to other blacks. At the same time, the dominant racial ideology promoted by the state is paramount to how blacks view social and political realities and their racial implications.
Oxford Scholarship Online, 2017
Chapter 8 analyzes how components of Cuban racial ideology influence black consciousness and iden... more Chapter 8 analyzes how components of Cuban racial ideology influence black consciousness and identity formation. The data in this chapter add to the information we have about what underground racial consciousness and dialogue looks like among blacks. The chapter argues that although racial democracy has been successful in creating a perception of equality and decreased saliency of race, black consciousness continues to exist and racial identity is quite significant to blacks in their daily lives. The experience of discrimination, the presence of racism, and perceptions of being undervalued in Cuban society heighten the saliency of race and have a direct relationship to how blacks view their own identity and their connection to other blacks. At the same time, the dominant racial ideology promoted by the state is paramount to how blacks view social and political realities and their racial implications.
Anthurium A Caribbean Studies Journal
The wave of migrants that arrived in South Florida from Mariel is a familiar story among Cubans, ... more The wave of migrants that arrived in South Florida from Mariel is a familiar story among Cubans, but popular and scholarly understandings of the exodus still exist without sufficient regard for how race mattered for who would be sponsored by families, who would be able to assimilate, and who would benefit from the Cuban enclave. Our essay shows, through oral histories, that Black Mariel migrants were less likely to find jobs and housing and experienced marginalization at higher levels than white Mariel migrants, most often from fellow white Cubans. Our narration centers racial identity in the analysis in ways that depart from much of the literature on the Mariel migration by not only freeing Black stories and perspectives, but recognizing that whiteness, even among a stigmatized group, must be considered. We bring Black people into the story of this migration, not just as a part of racial statistics and stigma, but as people whose real-life experiences remain largely hidden. In this way, we not only show how they were excluded, but celebrate community building and strategies to overcome exclusion.
Anthurium A Caribbean Studies Journal
The wave of migrants that arrived in South Florida from Mariel is a familiar story among Cubans, ... more The wave of migrants that arrived in South Florida from Mariel is a familiar story among Cubans, but popular and scholarly understandings of the exodus still exist without sufficient regard for how race mattered for who would be sponsored by families, who would be able to assimilate, and who would benefit from the Cuban enclave. Our essay shows, through oral histories, that Black Mariel migrants were less likely to find jobs and housing and experienced marginalization at higher levels than white Mariel migrants, most often from fellow white Cubans. Our narration centers racial identity in the analysis in ways that depart from much of the literature on the Mariel migration by not only freeing Black stories and perspectives, but recognizing that whiteness, even among a stigmatized group, must be considered. We bring Black people into the story of this migration, not just as a part of racial statistics and stigma, but as people whose real-life experiences remain largely hidden. In this way, we not only show how they were excluded, but celebrate community building and strategies to overcome exclusion.
In The Power of Race in Cuba, Danielle Pilar Clealand analyzes racial ideologies that negate the ... more In The Power of Race in Cuba, Danielle Pilar Clealand analyzes racial ideologies that negate the existence of racism and their effect on racial progress and activism through the lens of Cuba. Since 1959, Fidel Castro and the Cuban government have married socialism and the ideal of racial harmony to create a formidable ideology that is an integral part of Cuba ns'sense of identity and their perceptions of race and racism in their country. While the combination of socialism and a colorblind racial ideology is particular to Cuba, strategies that paint a picture of equality of opportunity and deflect the importance of race are not particular to the island's ideology and can be found throughout the world, and in the Americas, in particular. The Power of Race in Cuba gives a nuanced portrait of black identity in Cuba, based on survey data and interviews with formal organizers and hip hop artists.
Danielle Pilar Clealand: Uncovering Blackness: Racial Ideology and Black Consciousness in Contemp... more Danielle Pilar Clealand: Uncovering Blackness: Racial Ideology and Black Consciousness in Contemporary Cuba (Under the Direction of Jonathan Hartlyn) Racial ideology in Cuba, which negates the importance and effects of race and a racial hierarchy, gained significant legitimacy at the start of the Cuban Revolution due to increased levels of equality and the initial commitment by the Revolution to eradicate racism and racial discrimination. Racism was declared to be solved and race was subsequently erased from the public script two years after its triumph in 1959. This project determines 1) how the ideology of racial harmony and Cuban socialism join to create a racial ideology that often succeeds in reducing the salience of race for Cubans, particularly among the revolution‟s supporters 2) how this racial ideology affects identity formation, racial consciousness and racial attitudes among blacks as it interacts with visible racial disparities and 3) the trajectory that black politics ...
Racial ideology in Cuba rests on the notion that racial mixing, or mestizaje, has created harmoni... more Racial ideology in Cuba rests on the notion that racial mixing, or mestizaje, has created harmonious race relations and an absence of racism or racial hierarchy. This, accompanied with a national silence on issues of race and racism prevent a collective evaluation of the implications of anti-black racism. This paper examines the role of racial ideology in shaping Cubans’ racial attitudes. Within this context, it also highlights the existence of anti-black sentiment among whites despite a dominant ideology that suggests otherwise. Through survey and interview data I find that amidst an anti-racist culture or national etiquette, crude expressions of racism continue to thrive without much rebuke because all Cubans possess anti-racist attitudes and do not need to curb or reflect on racist language or actions.
Journal of Latin American Studies
Cuban emigration in the post-Soviet period has largely been attributed to economic motivations, b... more Cuban emigration in the post-Soviet period has largely been attributed to economic motivations, but without significant racial analysis. Moreover, little is known about how black Cubans on the island think about emigration. It is therefore imperative to re-examine how blacks, once cited as the Cuban Revolution's loyalists, make decisions today about remaining in Cuba and/or pursuing economic security outside of its borders. Using original survey data of black Cubans on the island, I find that economic motivations are prominent among black Cubans, but that these motivations can be multifaceted. In a study of black Cubans and emigration, the issue of increasing racial inequality and racial exclusion has significant influence on economic opportunity, which in turn influences the desire to leave Cuba to achieve economic and professional success. The results have implications for the ways in which we analyse migration throughout the Latin American region, where race has not been fact...
Politics, Groups, and Identities
The Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics
Oxford Scholarship Online
The Power of Race in Cuba analyzes racial ideologies that negate the existence of racism and thei... more The Power of Race in Cuba analyzes racial ideologies that negate the existence of racism and their effect on racial progress and activism through the lens of Cuba. Since 1959, Fidel Castro and the Cuban government have married socialism and the ideal of racial harmony to create a formidable ideology that is an integral part of Cubans’ sense of identity and their perceptions of race and racism in their country. While the combination of socialism and a colorblind racial ideology is particular to Cuba, strategies that paint a picture of equality of opportunity and deflect the importance of race are not particular to the island’s ideology and can be found throughout the world and in the Americas in particular. By promoting an anti-discrimination ethos, diminishing class differences at the onset of the revolution, and declaring the end of racism, Castro was able to unite belief in the revolution to belief in the erasure of racism. The ideology is bolstered by rhetoric that discourages ra...
Oxford Scholarship Online
The last chapter of the book, chapter 9, takes a look at formal or above-ground expressions of ra... more The last chapter of the book, chapter 9, takes a look at formal or above-ground expressions of racial consciousness in Cuba and the development of a space, albeit a small one, for racial dialogue on the island. The chapter looks at organizations that were created after the political opening in the 1990s to address issues of discrimination, and how their focus and influence affect the debate that is beginning to circulate around race. It also highlights how the hip-hop movement, one of the most important and far-reaching messengers of black consciousness in Cuba, uses music to insert a new racial rhetoric into the public sphere that has not been heard prior to this period. Finally, the chapter joins the under- and above-ground components of black consciousness to show that black public opinion regarding organization and activism often aligns with what elites and writing about in the public sphere.
Oxford Scholarship Online
Chapter 4 demonstrates how the unification of racial democracy and socialism creates a racial ide... more Chapter 4 demonstrates how the unification of racial democracy and socialism creates a racial ideology in Cuba that is distinct from other Latin American countries. By supporting racial democracy at the start of the revolution and officially declaring the end of racism, the government ensured that the influence of racial democracy in Cuba is particularly strong. The initial advances that the revolution was able to make provided a formidable claim by the government that race was no longer relevant. The economic crisis that followed the fall of the Soviet Union marked the first serious challenge to racial ideology in Cuba. The chapter examines the change in rhetoric among the leadership and how ideological discourse was adjusted during this time, and outlines the various theoretical components of racial ideology. Interviews are included to show how support for the revolution is tied to racial attitudes and belief in Cuban racial democracy.
Oxford Scholarship Online
Chapter 1 examines racial ideology and how racial democracy works in Cuba. The revolution, throug... more Chapter 1 examines racial ideology and how racial democracy works in Cuba. The revolution, throughout its decades, has reinforced the ideology of racial democracy and in doing so, has created a set of norms that guide much of the thinking and doing around race and racism in Cuba. These norms are silence regarding racism; anti-racialism; and an understanding of racism as racial prejudice, rather than systemic racism embedded in the country’s institutions. The ideology of racial democracy or racial harmony serves to legitimate the racial status quo by trivializing racial hierarchies or refuting them completely. Consequently the ideology has created, over time, standard ways of perceiving race, or racial norms. In addition to racial norms, the chapter also discusses racial categorization in Cuba and its relationship to racial ideology.