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ESTAMOS DISTANCIADOS

The Black Middle Class and Politics in Cali, Colombia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2021

Mary Pattillo ,
Rosa Emilia Bermúdez Rico  and
Ana María Mosquera Guevara
Mary Pattillo*
Affiliation:
Northwestern University
Rosa Emilia Bermúdez Rico
Affiliation:
Universidad del Valle
Ana María Mosquera Guevara
Affiliation:
Universidad del Valle
*
Corresponding author: Mary Pattillo, Department of Sociology, Northwestern University, 1810 Chicago Avenue, Evanston, IL60208. E-mail: m-pattillo@northwestern.edu
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Abstract

A Black middle class has emerged in many Latin American countries. Yet given the fluidity of Black identity, it is unclear if socioeconomic gains will result in the consolidation of a Black middle-class group identity with a sense of political responsibility or purpose. In this article, we use qualitative interviews with twenty-two Black professionals in Cali, Colombia, plus a small convenience survey, to explore the following research questions: Does the intersection of being Black and middle class cohere into a group identity? If so, does it translate into a Black political consciousness? And if not, what are the obstacles? We find that while respondents individually identify with a Black middle-class label, they do not experience it as a group that feels symbolic bonds of attachment or acts in a coordinated or mutually cognizant manner. It is a category without shape or coherence. It is amorphous. There are four primary explanations for Black middle class amorphism: the absence of shared or positive markers of collective Black identity; a lack of organizational infrastructure; taboos against organizing along racial lines in the workplace; and a strong individualist ethos towards protecting opportunities and enhancing personal status. We situate our findings within the field of Black politics to discuss what might be lost or gained by this amorphism.

Keywords

Black Middle ClassBlack PoliticsColombiaPolitical ConsciousnessGroup IdentityLatin America
Type
State of the Art
Information
Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race , Volume 18 , Issue 1 , Spring 2021 , pp. 49 - 72
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Hutchins Center for African and African American Research

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