While the role of Caribbean immigrants in the “New Negro” movement in the United States is now well established, the concurrent militancy of black Caribbean workers in Panama is much less understood. Examines the rise and fall of Afro-Antillano militancy in both the U.S.-controlled Canal Zone and the Republic of Panama from 1914–1921.
The community of Caribbean people in Panama represents the presence of another identity within Hispanic space, one contrasting with the mestizo national identity of that space. Over time these Caribbean migrants built their own entities and structures to ensure their livelihood and wellbeing. This article examines on the one major Caribbean Panamanian organization that is most prominent today, the Sociedad de Amigos del Museo Afroantillano de Panama (Society of Friends of the Afro-Antillean Museum of Panama) or SAMAAP.
Discusses the multiple meanings of music for Panamanian Afro-Antillean identity in the Caribbean, by placing musical genres such as calypso, soka, and reggae, in the context of tourism development
Looks at Abraham Lincoln's pursuit of colonization in the Chiriquí region of Colombia (now Panamá), conventionally known as one of just two places that he seriously considered with respect to his policy of relocating African Americans. Challenging the standard account of the scheme's demise around October 1862 due to vehement Central American protest, this piece questions whether such a development really took the president by surprise.
"A comparative perspective of the tourism industry in the islands of Colón, Panama and Carriacou, Grenada is presented in this article. The islands have long histories of association with colonial powers, coupled with more recent histories of 'discovery' as tourist destinations. The historical constructions of 'paradise islands' and the appropriation of tourism for nation-building purposes in these territories are analysed. The discussion assesses the underlying reasons for the differing responses by African Caribbean populations toward tourism development, in spite of similar colonial and postcolonial histories." --The Author
