1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Useful Source Of Information, June 24, 2007
This review is from: Culture and Customs of the Dominican Republic (Culture and Customs of Latin America and the Caribbean) (Hardcover)
This book provides a good general overview of the history, politics, religion and art of the Dominican Republic. The DR is a vibrant, unique and fascinating nation which relatively little has been written about.
I read this book during a recent visit to the country and found it to be a useful source of information which enriched my travelling experience. But I did find a few shortcomings. For one almost half the book is devoted to the creative arts, with a particular focus on the so-called "high arts" such as theater, sculpture, ballet and opera. I think a more reasonable disturbution would have included more on economics, anthropology and social issues, with about 1/4 of the book devoted to creative endeavors. Also in this artistic section more should have been written about the popular forms of music and dance, such as merengue, bachata and mambo. These performing arts are, by far, the most important to the majority of the Dominican people. They, especially merengue, are also hugely popular and influential throughout Latin America.
In terms of social topics, Brown does best when discussing the complex issue of race in the Dominican Republic. Brown emphasizes the extent to which Dominicans have gone to emphasize their white European heritage and to downplay their black African heritage. This has been increased by the fact that the DR shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. Haiti and the DR have a long history of political and military conflict, including a Haitian invasion and conquest of the DR in the early 1800's. Most Dominicans are mulato. But Brown says many darker skinned people prefer to call themselves "indios" rather than identify as black. This despite the fact that the indigenous Tainos were practically wiped out a relatively short time after the arrival of Colombus and the Spanish. My sense is that this is gradually changing, as young people seem less concerned than their elders about skin complexion. But, truthfully, I didn't discuss this topic with enough Dominicans to develop a well informed opinion.
In terms of gender roles Brown has a a rather extreme perspective, saying that "Dominican men treat Dominican women abysmally." However, she may not be far off the mark as practically every Dominican woman I talked to referred to Dominican men as "machista" (sexist). On the other hand, the tourist zones were full of young white women, mostly European, who had hooked up with Dominican boyfriends while on vacation.
A very common social problem that Brown doesn't address is the extremely high percentage of single mothers in the country. This often involves young women who have several children at a young age and then are abandoned, along with the kids, by the boyfriend or husband. Of course, this helps continue the cycle of poverty and leads many women into prostitution and other desperate efforts to provide for their offspring.
There are a few other areas which I found myself disagreeing with Brown's analysis. But for those seeking to learn more about the DR this is one of the few useful sources available and worthwhile picking up from the library though I wouldn't pay the price listed on Amazon.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
