Centering the Dominican Republic in studies of race, identity, education, and empire, I draw attention to a country overlooked in scholarship on the African Diaspora, Latin America, and the Caribbean. In my scholarship, I contend that the actors and institutions in the Dominican Republic bring to light the complexities of racial and national identity within the US empire.

As a historian, I use the experiences of Dominican actors to help document the ways Dominicans add to our understanding of the multiplicities of the experiences of Afro-descendants in the US and use their narratives to question notions of a monolithic “Black identity.” I explore how perceptions of race and national identity have been shaped by class, empire, migration and schools.

Crafting Dominicanidad:

Education and Citizenship during the US

Occupation of the Dominican Republic (1916-1924)

(forthcoming with University of North Carolina Press)

Crafting Dominicanidad traces the various notions of citizenship in the Dominican Republic that were articulated and shaped during the 1916 US occupation. Using the documents of the Military Government, Department of Justice and Public Instruction, as well as letters written by concerned parents and community members, this book explores how Dominicans across the country used this moment to reflect, discuss, and practice Dominican citizenship.

Other Publications