Abstract
This thesis examines and responds to the common depiction of Dominicans being seen as a population that is inherently non-Black and anti-Black in national and international discourse. It focuses on Dominican Blackness as a way to deconstruct the Latine (Latinx) and Black identity by focusing on a group that holds both of these identities simultaneously. This research argues that Black Dominicans and Black Latinas(Latinxs) deserve to be critically engaged with beyond the limited narratives we have now.
This thesis tackles the following questions: How has the process of mestizaje, a common practice in Latin America and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, contributed to the construction of an imagined Latinidad and the historical erasure of Black Latines? How can Black Dominican experiences be used to investigate how Black Latines have navigated spaces of exclusion in the Dominican Republic? In what ways have Dominicans, a majority Black population, been regarded as generally non-Black and anti-Black in national and international discourse?