Caribbean territorial nationalism is rooted in European aspirations, not autonomy

Evidence

Notwithstanding their location at opposite poles of Caribbean nationalist expression, the cases of the Dominican Republic and Haiti expose the profound European aspirations that are at the core of Caribbean territorial nationalism. These are indicated, as in the case of the Dominican Republic, in the rejection of notions of African origins. European aspirations are evident, also, in the wholehearted embrace of European forms by those with the historical charge of fashioning, orchestrating, and implementing the nationalist agenda. This embrace becomes evident, as it is in Haiti, in the institutional and cultural representations and practices of the nationalist elite. — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 3213

Categorization

• XREF: Contradicts the romantic picture of Caribbean anti-colonial nationalism — connects to Anderson’s insights on nationalism’s elite fabrication.