EVENT DETAILS

Hiding in Plain Sight: Black Women, the Law, and the Making of a White Argentina, by Dr. Erika Edwards

Dr. Erika Edwards
Associate Professor
University of North Carolina, Charlotte

This event is co-sponsored with the History Department

“The disappearance of the black population is complex because at the root of disappearance is the fluidity and flexibility of the racial identities in Argentina. Since race is not a fixed feature, such as in the United States which implemented the “one drop rule” meaning one drop of black blood made you black, the definition of white and black are more fluid and shaped by political, social, and economic environments. In Argentina, whiteness equates to privilege, status, and wealth that can be traced back to the colonial period. Blackness conversely became equated with poverty, ignorance, and slavery, which also began in the colonial period. Because whiteness and blackness are not fixed traits the disappearance constitutes a series of choices made by African descendants to leave behind, escape, and/or deny their blackness to socially advance to an ascribed ideal whiteness. As a result, the ideal choice for many African descendants throughout Argentina’s history has been when possible whiteness.”