Keywords

Taino, Arawak, American Indians, Caribbean Indians, Native Americans, Caribbean Natives, The Taino Nation of the Antilles, social constructionism, race, ethnicity

Abstract

Definitions and boundaries of race and ethnicity are socially constructed. They are malleable inventions created by the negotiation of ascribed ideas from outside groups and asserted notions from the inside group's membership. The revitalization of Taíno identity and culture within the Puerto Rican and related communities is a classic case example of this negotiation. Although objective conditions exist to recognize the descendants of these Caribbean aboriginals as an identifiable group, their identities are contested and sometimes ridiculed. Even though Taíno heritage is accepted as an essential root of Puerto Rico's cultural and biological make-up, this group has been classified as extinct since the early 16th century. This thesis analyzes the official newsletters of the Taíno Nation of the Antilles--one of the leading organizations working for revitalization. The content of this material culture was dissected and organized into rhetorical categories in order to reveal patterns of endogamic assertions of race and ethnicity. This thesis will provide a descriptive analysis of the Taíno Nation's rhetorical process of convincing the world that they do in fact exist.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2006

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Corzine, Jay

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Sociology

Degree Program

Applied Sociology

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0001325

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0001325

Language

English

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

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Included in

Sociology Commons

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