The Work of Recognition

Abstract This book presents a history of African-descended Colombians during the post-emancipation period. The book chronicles the history of Afro-Colombians—particularly along the Caribbean coast of Colombia, where the African-descended populations were concentrated—beginning with final emancipation in the 1850s and ending with the country's first general labor strike in 1918. Revealing a number of previously little known labor struggles beginning as early as 1857, including a strike staged by Magdalena River boatmen, which may have been the first strike in Colombian history, the book demonstrates that Afro-Colombians were principal actors in the post-slavery labor environment during these years. It argues that comprehending their historical role opens up a new view on the practice and meaning of modern citizenship and the crucial concept of recognition as central to the assumption of citizenship status. Challenging the historical erasure of Afro-Colombians, the book demonstrates that, after slavery, the historical denial of the role of black workers in the republic occurred at key turning points exactly when and because they demanded recognition as citizens. Connecting the history of black Colombians to national development, the book also places the story within the broader contexts of Latin American popular politics, religion, and the African diaspora.