|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
|
Product Description
Review
"The dynamics of racism, class prejudice, and sexism work differently and only reveal how they gear in with each other at specific historical moments. Findlay has addressed these issues with confidence and eclat; the result is both careful and passionate."--Sidney W. Mintz, author of "Caribbean Transformations" and "Sweetness and Power"
Book Description
Feminists, socialists, Afro-Puerto Rican activists, and elite politicians join laundresses, prostitutes, and dissatisfied wives in populating the pages of "Imposing Decency". Centring her analysis around several major Puerto Rican anti-prostitution campaigns, Eileen Findlay exposes the race-related double standards of sexual norms and practices in Puerto Rico between 1870 and 1920, the period that witnessed Puerto Rico's shift from Spanish to U.S. colonialism. In showing how political projects and alliances in Puerto Rico were affected by racially contingent definitions of 'decency' and 'disreputability,' Findlay argues that attempts at moral reform and the state's repression of 'sexually dangerous' women were weapons used in battles between elite and popular, American and Puerto Rican, and black and white.Based on a thorough analysis of popular and elite discourses found in both literature and official archives, Findlay contends that racialised sexual norms and practices were consistently a central component in the construction of social and political orders. The campaigns she analyses include an attempt at moral reform by elite male liberals and a movement designed to enhance the family and cleanse urban space that ultimately translated into repression against dark-skinned prostitutes. Findlay also describes how U.S. colonial officials railed against prostitution by focusing on marriage and divorce and how feminist, labour, and Afro-Puerto Rican political demands escalated after World War I, again making prostitutes a tool for those attempting to maintain stability and political consensus."Imposing Decency" forces us to rethink previous interpretations of political chronologies as well as reigning conceptualisations of both liberalism and the early working-class in Puerto Rico. Her work will appeal to scholars with an interest in Puerto Rican or Latin American studies, sexuality and national identity, women in Latin America, and general women's studies.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
The declarant says that she has had romantic relations for about a year with Antonio Laubriel, who visited her house with her parents' consent. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The declarant says that she has had romantic relations for about a year with Antonio Laubriel, who visited her house with her parents' consent. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
fascinating insights,
By A Customer
This review is from: Imposing Decency: The Politics of Sexuality and Race in Puerto Rico, 1870–1920 (Paperback)
I am the grandchild of a Puerto Rican woman who lived on the island about the time this book was written. I was absolutely fascinated by the book and found it explained a lot about attitudes toward race and sexuality that prevailed in my own family that I'd always found contradictory and inexplicable.I generally avoid books written by academicians because their writing style is usually turgid, wordy and devoid of life. Not so this book. While it does carefully document its subject, the writing is lively and engaging. A must-read for anyone who wants insight into a fascinating aspect of Puerto Rican culture.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Accessible and well written,
By A Customer
This review is from: Imposing Decency: The Politics of Sexuality and Race in Puerto Rico, 1870–1920 (Paperback)
Well researched and engaged with the scholarly discussion, yet readable and at times very elegantly argued. The book contributes to discussions of race and sexuality and should be of interest to many more than the few academics in Latin American history and women's studies. Those people, and many others interested in those and related fields, however, MUST read it!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews) 9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
fascinating insights,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Imposing Decency: The Politics of Sexuality and Race in Puerto Rico, 1870–1920 (Paperback)
I am the grandchild of a Puerto Rican woman who lived on the island about the time this book was written. I was absolutely fascinated by the book and found it explained a lot about attitudes toward race and sexuality that prevailed in my own family that I'd always found contradictory and inexplicable.I generally avoid books written by academicians because their writing style is usually turgid, wordy and devoid of life. Not so this book. While it does carefully document its subject, the writing is lively and engaging. A must-read for anyone who wants insight into a fascinating aspect of Puerto Rican culture. 7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Accessible and well written,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Imposing Decency: The Politics of Sexuality and Race in Puerto Rico, 1870–1920 (Paperback)
Well researched and engaged with the scholarly discussion, yet readable and at times very elegantly argued. The book contributes to discussions of race and sexuality and should be of interest to many more than the few academics in Latin American history and women's studies. Those people, and many others interested in those and related fields, however, MUST read it!
|
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > History > Americas > Caribbean & West Indies
- Books > History > Americas > Central America
- Books > New & Used Textbooks > Humanities > History > Latin America
- Books > New & Used Textbooks > Social Sciences > Anthropology
- Books > New & Used Textbooks > Social Sciences > Political Science
- Books > New & Used Textbooks > Social Sciences > Sociology
- Books > Nonfiction > Politics
- Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Anthropology > Cultural
- Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Sociology > Race Relations
- Books > Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 > Humanities
- Books > Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 > Social Sciences
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
