Sponsored Identities: Cultural Politics in Puerto Rico (Puerto Rican Studies) [Paperback]

Arlene Davila (Author)

Book Description

Series: Puerto Rican Studies | Publication Date: October 16, 1997

"Now everybody loves Puerto Rican culture," says a Puerto Rican school teacher and festival organizer, "but that's exactly the problem." Thus begins this major examination of cultural nationalism as a political construct involving party ideologies, corporate economic goals, and grassroots cultural groups. Author Arlene Davila focuses on the Institute for Puerto Rican Culture, the government institution charged with defining authenticated views of national identity since the 1950s, and on popular festival organizers to illuminate contestations over appropriate representations of culture in the increasingly mass-mediated context of contemporary Puerto Rico. She examines the creation of an essentialist view of nationhood based on a peasant culture and a "unifying" Hispanic heritage, and the ways in which grassroots organizations challenge and reconfigure definitions of national identity through their own activities and representations. Davila pays particular attention to the increasing prominence of corporate sponsorship in determining what is distinguished as authentic "Puerto Rican culture" and discusses the politicization of culture as a discourse to debate and legitimize conflicting claims from selling commercial products to advocating divergent status options for the island. In so doing, Davila illuminates the prospects for cultural identities in an increasingly transnational context by showing the growth of cultural nationalism to be intrinsically connected to forms of political action directed to the realm of culture and cultural politics. This in-depth examination also makes clear that despite contemporary concerns with "authenticity," commercialism is an inescapable aspect of all cultural expressions on the island. Author note: Arlene M. Davila is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Syracuse University. She has previous work experience with museums and cultural institutions.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

How views of national identity are forged and contested in Puerto Rico by local and transnational forces --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Arlene Dávila is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Syracuse University. She has previous work experience with museums and cultural institutions. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (October 16, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566395496
• ISBN-13: 978-1566395496
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #105,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #77 in Books > History > Americas > Caribbean & West Indies

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Offers a good case study of state sponsored culture., July 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Sponsored Identities: Cultural Politics in Puerto Rico (Puerto Rican Studies) (Hardcover)

After reading this book I can say that Davila offers a good case study of the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture has historically acted as an authority which sanctions specific cultural products/practices as Puerto Rican. Her description of the struggle over authenticity at the Bacardi Festival is excellent. However, her analysis of how identity/ies are negotiated and framed suffers for lack of theoretical rigour. Her understanding of nationalism and her notion of nationalism as somehow inclusive is a case in point. This book also betrays a lack of historical knowledge about Puerto Rican political history as a number of errors concerning political party history appear in the text. The main value of this book is as an empirical case study on which others can build a serious analysis of how culture and identity are contested in Puerto Rico.

4.0 out of 5 stars Just Right, March 30, 2011

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awesomea - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sponsored Identities: Cultural Politics in Puerto Rico (Puerto Rican Studies) (Paperback)

I got what i asked for, and what was described on the quality of the book. Thank you. It was also received in a timely manner.

2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books on Puerto Rico, a must read., July 31, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Sponsored Identities: Cultural Politics in Puerto Rico (Puerto Rican Studies) (Paperback)

This is a very acute study of cultural politics in Puerto Rico. The author exposes the dynamics that make culture such an important forum to debate identity among Puerto Ricans on the island and abroad. It is an excellent book and a must read for anyone interested in contemporary Puerto Rican studies.