A case of the great fear towards the afro-descendants in Yucatan? The strategic use of a Caribbean discourse in the context of Latin American independence

In: Bock, Ulrike (2018). A case of the great fear towards the afro-descendants in Yucatan? The strategic use of a Caribbean discourse in the context of Latin American independence. Hist. Caribe, 13 (32). S. 51 - 80. BARRANQUILLA: UNIV ATLANTICO, CENTRO INVESTIGACIONES HISTORICAS EDUCACION & IDENTIDAD. ISSN 0122-8803

Abstract

In Caribbean historiography, the concept of the great fear is defined as the fear of uprisings by afrodescendants following the Haitian Revolution. Based on a case in the province of Yucatan, this article reflects on the importance and the use of the discourse of fear in the context of the era of the Latin American independence movements. By analising the local dynamics of the case study it argues that rather than representing a mental disposition of the Haiti trauma, the stereotypes of the discourse of fear were used strategically in order to justify local political decisions.