National Colors: Racial Classification and the State in Latin America

398 Pages·2014·3.652 MB·English

by  Mara Loveman

National Colors

National Colors
Racial Classification and the State
in Latin America
mara loveman
1
1
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© Mara Loveman 2014
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Loveman, Mara, 1972–
National colors : racial classification and the state in Latin America / Mara Loveman.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-19-933735-4 (hardback)—ISBN 978-0-19-933736-1 (paperback)
1. Ethnic groups—Latin America. 2. Ethnicity—Political aspects—Latin America.
3. Demographic surveys—Political aspects—Latin America.
4. Latin America—Census—History. I. Title.
F1419.A1.L69 2014
305.80098—dc23 2014005732
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
CONTENTS
Tables vii
Figures ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xvii
chapter 1. Introduction: Ethnoracial Classification and the State 3
chapter 2. Classifying Colonial Subjects 43
chapter 3. Enumerating Nations 79
chapter 4. The Race to Progress 121
chapter 5. Constructing Natural Orders 169
chapter 6. From Race to Culture 207
chapter 7. “We All Count” 250
chapter 8. Conclusion: The International Politics of Ethnoracial
Classification 301
Appendix: The Database on Diversity in Latin American
Censuses 327
Bibliography 331
Index 363

TABLES
3.1 Timeline of the Creation of National Statistics Agencies in Latin
America 103
3.2 Latin American Participation in the International Statistical
Congress, 1853–1876 108
3.3 Race or Color Questions in Latin American Censuses,
1810s–1940s 113
3.4 Latin American Participation in the International Statistical
Institute, 1887–1933 116
6.1 Race or Color Questions in Latin American Censuses,
1810s–1980s 208
6.2a Visibility of Indigenous Peoples in Latin American Censuses,
1810s–1980s 233
6.2b Approaches to Enumerating “Indians” in Latin American Censuses,
1810s–1980s 234
6.3 Visibility of Afrodescendants in Latin American Censuses,
1810s–1980s 241
7.1a Visibility of Afrodescendant and Indigenous Peoples in Latin
American Censuses, 1980s–2010s 253
7.1b Approaches to Enumerating Afrodescendant and Indigenous
Peoples in Latin American Censuses, 1980s–2010s 254
7.2 Questions about Ethnoracial Diversity in Latin American Censuses,
2000s–2010s 256
7.3 Latin American Signatories to ILO 169 (1989) 273

FIGURES
2.1 Constructing the Sociedad de Castas in Colonial Spanish
America 64
2.2 A List of Castas from Colonial Mexico 65
2.3 A Series of Casta Paintings 67
4.1 Language Groups Reported in the Census of Mexico, 1921 136
4.2 Language Groups Reported in the Census of Guatemala,
1921 138
4.3 A Demonstration of the “Excellent” Effects of Ethnic Selection in
the Census of Brazil, 1920 141
4.4 Nationality of Immigrants Who Entered Brazilian Ports between
1820 and 1907 150
4.5 Population Growth in Argentina and Other “Principal Nations,”
1895 152
4.6 Guatemala’s “Two Principal Groups” in the 1893 Census 159
4.7 A Comparison of Races in the Census of Panama, 1920 162
4.8 The Racial Composition of the Population of Panama, 1930 163
5.1 The Razas of Mexico, 1921 181
5.2 The Nationalities of Argentina, 1869 184
5.3 Changes in the Racial Composition of Peru, 1876 vs. 1940 185
5.4 The Pueblos in Argentine Territories, 1912 190
5.5a The Racial Composition of the Argentine Population, 1895 194
5.5b The Racial Composition of Argentina’s Foreign-born
Population, 1912 194