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Migraciones raciales: La ciudad de Nueva York y la política revolucionaria en el Caribe hispánico
The gripping history of Afro-Latino migrants who conspired to overthrow a colonial monarchy, end slavery, and secure full citizenship in their homelands
In the late nineteenth century, a small group of Cubans and Puerto Ricans of African descent settled in the segregated tenements of New York City. At an immigrant educational society in Greenwich Village, these early Afro-Latino New Yorkers taught themselves to be poets, journalists, and revolutionaries. At the same time, these individuals--including Rafael Serra, a cigar maker, writer, and politician; Sotero Figueroa, a typesetter, editor, and publisher; and Gertrudis Heredia, one of the first women of African descent to study midwifery at the University of Havana--built a political network and articulated an ideal of revolutionary nationalism centered on the projects of racial and social justice. These efforts were critical to the poet and diplomat Jos� Mart�'s writings about race and his bid for leadership among Cuban exiles, and to the later struggle to create space for black political participation in the Cuban Republic.
In Racial Migrations, Jesse Hoffnung-Garskof presents a vivid portrait of these largely forgotten migrant revolutionaries, weaving together their experiences of migrating while black, their relationships with African American civil rights leaders, and their evolving participation in nationalist political movements. By placing Afro-Latino New Yorkers at the center of the story, Hoffnung-Garskof offers a new interpretation of the revolutionary politics of the Spanish Caribbean, including the idea that Cuba could become a nation without racial divisions.
A model of transnational and comparative research, Racial Migrations reveals the complexities of race-making within migrant communities and the power of small groups of immigrants to transform their home societies.
In the late nineteenth century, a small group of Cubans and Puerto Ricans of African descent settled in the segregated tenements of New York City. At an immigrant educational society in Greenwich Village, these early Afro-Latino New Yorkers taught themselves to be poets, journalists, and revolutionaries. At the same time, these individuals--including Rafael Serra, a cigar maker, writer, and politician; Sotero Figueroa, a typesetter, editor, and publisher; and Gertrudis Heredia, one of the first women of African descent to study midwifery at the University of Havana--built a political network and articulated an ideal of revolutionary nationalism centered on the projects of racial and social justice. These efforts were critical to the poet and diplomat Jos� Mart�'s writings about race and his bid for leadership among Cuban exiles, and to the later struggle to create space for black political participation in the Cuban Republic.
In Racial Migrations, Jesse Hoffnung-Garskof presents a vivid portrait of these largely forgotten migrant revolutionaries, weaving together their experiences of migrating while black, their relationships with African American civil rights leaders, and their evolving participation in nationalist political movements. By placing Afro-Latino New Yorkers at the center of the story, Hoffnung-Garskof offers a new interpretation of the revolutionary politics of the Spanish Caribbean, including the idea that Cuba could become a nation without racial divisions.
A model of transnational and comparative research, Racial Migrations reveals the complexities of race-making within migrant communities and the power of small groups of immigrants to transform their home societies.
510 pages, Paperback
Published May 15, 2020
12 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
About the author
Jesse Hoffnung-Garskof
6 books3 followersJesse Hoffnung-Garskof is professor of history, American culture, and Latina/o studies at the University of Michigan. He is the author of A Tale of Two Cities: Santo Domingo and New York after 1950 (Princeton).
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 20, 2022
3.5 stars
Racial Migrations by Jesse Hoffnung-Garskof is a great addition to Cuban history. Hoffnung-Garskof wrote Racial Migrations as a historical narrative which I found to be the case. I enjoyed the writing and the narrative did flow decently well. A major problem with his approach to historical narrative is he does not situation the readers in the history timeline well. Following around ten different figures throughout Racial Migrations made it extremely difficult to remember who was who and what was going on at times because Hoffnung-Garskof failed to set the book up well. He is not a historian so I'll let him slide a bit. However, his main points can get lost in the narrative, as it feels he himself got lost with what he was trying to get across to the reader at some points.
Hoffnung-Garskof shows how the Revolutionary Politics of Cuba were driven by Afro-Cubans and Afro-Puerians. He shows how these black men AND women had to navigate spaces in the Caribbean and in America. I found the duality of being black (and not being African American) and speaking Spanish in America to be one of the most fascinating parts of the Racial Migrations. I appreciated how the author goes out of his way to try and include women in his narrative with the limited sources that were available for him. I do think there is a lot of information in Racial Migrations, and if you aren't familiar with Cuban or Spanish Caribbean history already the narrative can be difficult to follow.
Racial Migrations by Jesse Hoffnung-Garskof is a great addition to Cuban history. Hoffnung-Garskof wrote Racial Migrations as a historical narrative which I found to be the case. I enjoyed the writing and the narrative did flow decently well. A major problem with his approach to historical narrative is he does not situation the readers in the history timeline well. Following around ten different figures throughout Racial Migrations made it extremely difficult to remember who was who and what was going on at times because Hoffnung-Garskof failed to set the book up well. He is not a historian so I'll let him slide a bit. However, his main points can get lost in the narrative, as it feels he himself got lost with what he was trying to get across to the reader at some points.
Hoffnung-Garskof shows how the Revolutionary Politics of Cuba were driven by Afro-Cubans and Afro-Puerians. He shows how these black men AND women had to navigate spaces in the Caribbean and in America. I found the duality of being black (and not being African American) and speaking Spanish in America to be one of the most fascinating parts of the Racial Migrations. I appreciated how the author goes out of his way to try and include women in his narrative with the limited sources that were available for him. I do think there is a lot of information in Racial Migrations, and if you aren't familiar with Cuban or Spanish Caribbean history already the narrative can be difficult to follow.
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September 15, 2021Glad I finally finished this.
This book was incredibly dense and hard to read. The research was done really well, but the author claimed that this book can be read like a novel, which I disagree with.
You probably got to have a big understanding of history, and you need to have a good memory when it comes to names. There were so many people who founded so many newspapers!
A little bit too much for me but I had to read it for a university course.
This book was incredibly dense and hard to read. The research was done really well, but the author claimed that this book can be read like a novel, which I disagree with.
You probably got to have a big understanding of history, and you need to have a good memory when it comes to names. There were so many people who founded so many newspapers!
A little bit too much for me but I had to read it for a university course.
July 23, 2023
I was unaware of the extent of Cuban exile politics in the United States. I knew about those that lead up to the Bay of Pigs, but as I dug into the topic I was introduced to Jose Marti and the Key West, Tampa, and New York exile communities and their racial and social movements that drove them to seek Cuba's independence. A very fascinating book that shows the creation of Marti's political party and the ties between the African American and Afro-Cuban communities.
January 2, 2022
I'm not a big fan of microhistories, and this one is clearly well done, with thorough research on all of the primary characters but I would have liked much stronger big picture analysis about the New York-Cuba connection in this era, what it meant, and how it produced different futures
April 24, 2023
Highly recommend if you want a (mostly) comprehensive narrative history about the lives and politics of Spanish Caribbean immigrants in New York City!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews