The Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic

Hassan Omar Jr.

HUM215-0903B-02: Topics in Cultural Studies

Professor Lewis Lynn

September 26^th, 2009

Latin America and the Caribbean contain many nations, countries as large Brazil and as small as Dominica are within this region known as Latin America or the New World. The Dominican Republic is a particularly interesting especially to the region. The Dominican Republic being located on the island of Hispaniola was where Columbus first landed in the “New World”. The Dominican Republic is a nation with a rich history and pride in its heritage. The Dominican Republic has very interesting cultural background and range of social norms, along with past of political unrest and economic chaos to growth. The Dominican Republic is a nation which is not only important to the history of Latin American it also influential to the cultural growth of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Latin America, including the Caribbean Islands, is often classified within the “New World.” The cultures and countries of Latin America and the islands of the Caribbean are a mixture of several cultures clashing. These nations are a mixture of Spanish culture, Native or Aboriginal cultures, and African cultures. The Dominican Republic is an excellent example of this mixture of cultures, peoples, and ways of life coming together and producing another culture.

The Dominican Republic at a glance is a nation approximately 48670 square kilometers taking up two thirds of the island of Hispaniola. The country is slightly larger than twice the size of the state of New Hampshire. The Dominican Republic is a country of mostly “rugged Highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed (Central Intelligence Agency, 2009).” “With its highest point at 3175 miles and its lowest elevation at negative 46 miles below sea level the country of the Dominican Republic has a very balanced terrain. The island has a coastline of 1288 kilometers and is located at geographic coordinates of 19 00 N, 70 40 W (Central Intelligence Agency, 2009).”

The people of the Dominican Republic are made up of 9,650,054 the eighty-sixth largest country in the world. There are about “492 people per square mile (Infoplease.com, 2009).” “The population as a whole is made of mostly people of mixed ethnic groups. 73 percent is listed as of mixed ethnic group with 16 percent listed as white and 11 percent listed as black. 95 percent of the population is registered as Roman Catholic leaving the remaining 5 percent as other religions. Of this large population 31.4 percent are 14 years of age or younger, 62.7 percent are between the age of 15 and 64 years old and a remaining 5.9 percent are 65 or older. There are about 1.03 men to women in the country from birth to about age 64. In the Dominican Republic the population is growing at 1.489 percent. The rate of urbanization is estimated to change at a rate of 2.6 percent annually. There are about 69 percent of the population is living in an urban setting. (Central Intelligence Agency, 2009)”

The Dominican Republic is a younger nation in comparison to the Old world and the United States. The Dominican Republic declared independence from Haitian Occupation on February 27^th, 1844. The nation’s history since then has been through many power struggles for control of the country. “The population was steadily growing from a census taken 20 years ago when President Joaquin Balaguer Ricardo was in power the nation’s population was estimated at 7,106,114 people. I was not able to find out what the population as 20 years prior to 1989 I was however able to find all the census reports on population growth from the years 1989 up until this current year of 2009. In the year 1999 President Leonel Fernandez Reyna was in power at the time and the population of the nation was estimated at 8,129,734 people (theodora.com, 2005), (theodora.com, 1999).”

The people of the Dominican Republic are mostly Roman Catholic, which means they hold religion very highly within their community. Like the United States the Dominican Republic has an illegal alien issue with Haitians crossing the border and coming to find work. Other than that the people of the Dominican Republic are not big fans of soccer like most of the world. They in fact enjoy America’s same favorite pass time Baseball. “About 42.2 percent of the population in The Dominican Republic is below the poverty line (Central Intelligence Agency, 2009).” The males at a young age can not afford a baseball and bat so they make due by playing with a water jug cap and a stick. After many years of playing with these objects they are normally much better hitters and catchers than someone who grew up playing with larger objects. The Dominican Republic has its own baseball league that from time to time has United States scouts searching for young talent. The Dominican Republic is very large tourist attraction in the Caribbean which also means it has a very vibrant night life and club and bar scene.

The Dominican Republic is from the start a nation of multiracial people. The people of the Dominican Republic are usually mestizos, mulattoes, whites and blacks. This nation’s people have societies who have African origins as well as Spanish roots. With that said the people of this land have a rich history and rich culture. The people of the Dominican Republic are a group of people that are one as a culture. They are a people who like other cultures have social movements within its own borders to better the society.

“Dominican social stratification is influenced by racial and economic issues. The upper class is historically descended from European ancestry and is light skinned. The lower class is most often black, descendants of the African slave population or Haitians. The mulattoes are people of mixed African and European ancestry and make up the majority of the population; they have created a growing middle class. This middle class is divided into indio claro, who have lighter skin, and indio obscuro, who are darker skinned. The term indio (Indian) is used because many Dominicans do not yet acknowledge their African roots. (GARLO, 2000)” The reason it is like this is because of a past that many still remember. “Dominican society is the cradle of blackness in the Americas. It was the port of entry for the first African slaves, only nine years after Columbus arrived. Blacks and mulattoes make up almost 90 percent of the population. There has been a longstanding tension with Haiti, particularly over the Haitian desire to migrate there. In the early fall of 1937 Trujillo's soldiers used machetes, knives, picks, and shovels to slaughter somewhere between ten thousand and thirty-five thousand Haitian civilians, claiming it was a Dominican peasant uprising. Even loyal personal servants and Haitian spouses of Dominicans were killed by the soldiers. Today there is still great disdain for Haitian and other blacks. (GARLO, 2000)”

Dominicans are as a people, one whole people. They see things in a similar light as well. The Spanish influence on their life and the Roman Catholic Church shape the way they look at the world. Unlike many other countries that have had many political movements however the Dominican Republic does not have many social movements within its history. The protests that go on today are protests of social workers against the government. The people of the Dominican Republic have many movements but all of which are in fact political ones. The protests that are happening right now are “Protesters in the Dominican Republic angry over a lack of government services shut down businesses and street traffic near the national university for about an hour Tuesday, news reports said. Students were prevented from traveling in or out of the campus during the protest, they said. It was the latest in a long series of demonstrations by protesters who want the government to increase spending for roads, highways and utility services. Many Dominicans have grown weary with frequent power outages and other disruptions to their daily lives. (Brice, 2009)”

Almost all of the movements and protests in the Dominican Republic were non-religious movements. In July of this year, “Leaders of the Dominican Medical Guild (CMD) and the National Union of Nursing Services (UNASED) announced on Aug. 7 that Dominican medical workers would continue a strike they started on July 29 for at least another five days, until 6 AM on Aug. 13. The strike is the latest development in an 18-month struggle around a demand for a monthly minimum wage of 58,400 pesos ($1,624) for medical professionals. (worldwar4 report, 2009)” Most movements made by the people of the Dominican Republic are against the government or its many agencies.

The Dominican Republic is a nation that has many movements like Trujillo the tyrant used the military for a political takeover whom was trained by the United States military during the invasion and occupation in 1916-1924. The people how ever do not have many social protests. The people of the Dominican Republic may have had social movements but the social movements were not to change the culture or society but to change the politics of the country.

The Dominican Republic is a nation of rich culture. The Dominican Republic is a country of mixed descent nearly everyone today within the Dominican Republic is mixed. Since most of the natives are of mixed descent the people of this nation are of both European descent and West African Descent along with some being mixed with a few of the native Taino people indigenous to the Island of Hispaniola. The nation prides itself on its Spanish heritage and many of the people still do not recognize there African Heritage.

The people of the Dominican Republic are as mentioned earlier are mostly of mixed descent. The population of the Dominican Republic as of 2004 was estimated to be around 8,833,634 people. Of that statistic the census showed that 73% of all the people who participated to be of mixed race. That mixed majority shows that the remaining percentage of 27% was split. There were 16% of the people identified themselves as white and 11% identified themselves as black.

The Dominican Republic’s identifies itself of Spanish heritage so naturally the country’s influences are mostly from the Spanish. The Spanish are Roman Catholic and so are most Dominicans. The Roman Catholic Church not only shapes the way of life they lead but the basis of they which their culture is built upon. The Spanish came to the Island of Hispaniola bringing with them African slaves.

The Social Stratification of the Dominican Republic is the white or lighter skinned toned people are looked at in a higher regard and usually wealthier than those of darker skin tones. The reason it is like this is not only because of the Spanish but also because for a short period of time the Haitian Regime occupied the portion of the island that is today called the Dominican Republic. Since this period the relations between Haitians and Dominicans have not been very friendly.

The people of the Dominican Republic view themselves more as Latin American more so then Caribbean. This also ties into their misalignment with those who are black and their ties to the Catholic church which incorporates this view “Marianismo creates an ideal by which Latin American women are expected to live, and the Virgin Mary is the epitome of this ideal: Mary and women show a "resigned acceptance of any and all reality as the will of God" (Ana María Bidegain 1989:21). Mary was chosen by God to be the mother of God’s son. By accepting this fate, Mary was giving herself up to God and God’s will. In order to do this, Mary would had to have been pure, for how else could she have been worthy to carry and give birth to the son of God? Mary’s acceptance of God’s will and her purity (meaning her virginity) are the basis of the marianismo ideal. Modeling themselves after Mary, marianismo expects women to accept their fate as mothers and wives. Women are to be virginal and pure like Mary, they are to be humble, they must be willing to endure the suffering that motherhood often requires, they are to live in the shadow of their husbands and children and also support their husbands and children by all means necessary. In short, women are to expect and tolerate certain behavior from men -- aggressiveness, sexual infidelity, arrogance, stubbornness and callousness. Women are to model their behavior after that of the Virgin Mary. Like Mary, they should accept the fate that is handed to them. Marianismo demands that mothers suffer like Mary suffered and love as Mary did for Jesus. In short, women are expected to be good wives and mothers, which typically includes self-sacrifice and putting one’s family and it’s survival above all else.

If anything the Dominican Republic has its own culture within itself. Tradition and family generally guide the way of life that is lead. These two aspects are above all other things in the daily life of Dominicans except of course the Roman Catholic Church. The Dominican Republic is in fact its own cultural island in the Carribean.

The Dominican Republic is a one of the Caribbean’s fastest growing developing nations. Out of all of the Central American countries and Caribbean nations it is the largest economy. It is also still a middle-income nation. With booming industries and sporadic growth since the 1990’s the Dominican Republic is definitively a country on the rise within Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Dominican Republic at the current moment is the largest economy within the Caribbean and Central America. The Dominican Republic’s largest portion of its earnings annually comes from Tourism. “Tourism (the leading foreign exchange earner), telecommunications, and free-trade-zone manufacturing are the most important sectors, although agriculture is still a major part of the economy. The Dominican Republic owed much of its success to the adoption of sound macroeconomic policies in the early 1990s and greater opening to foreign investment.” The reason that this is true is because “After a decade of little to no growth in the 1980s, the Dominican Republic's economy boomed in the 1990s, expanding at an average rate of 7.7% per year from 1996 to 2000.” The GNP (Gross Domestic Product) as of 2008 for the Dominican Republic was registered at 5.3% for this year it’s GNP is predicted to fall to .5%.

Just like all countries and people they acquire debt. The Dominican Republics national debt including government debt as of today is estimated to be around $600 million dollars US. “The Dominican Republic presents a fascinating case for studying economic growth and its determinants, as strong growth outcomes over the past thirty-five years have been tempered by periodic crisis episodes. Per capita incomes rose from US$335 in 1970 to US$2,107 in 2004 despite annual population growth averaging 2.4 percent over the period.” In 2003 however “Growth turned negative in 2003 (-0.4%) due to the effects of government handling of major bank frauds and to lower U.S. demand for Dominican manufactures…The Dominican peso fell to an unprecedented low in exchange markets in 2003-2004 but strengthened dramatically following the election and inauguration of Leonel Fernández. The Dominican Peso has traded at a rate, considered to be overvalued, on a purchasing power parity basis since late 2004. Inflation fell sharply in late 2004 and was estimated at 9% for that calendar year. The Fernández administration successfully renegotiated official bilateral debt with Paris Club member governments, commercial bank debt with London Club members, and sovereign debt with a consortium of lenders. It met fiscal and financial targets of the standby agreement but fell short of goals for reforms in the electricity sector and financial markets…The Dominican Republic's most important trading partner is the United States (75% of export revenues). Other markets include Canada, Western Europe, and Japan. The country exports free-trade-zone manufactured products (garments, medical devices, etc.), nickel, sugar, coffee, cacao, and tobacco. It imports petroleum, industrial raw materials, capital goods, and foodstuffs. On September 5, 2005, the Dominican Congress ratified a free trade agreement with the U.S. and five Central American countries, known as CAFTA-DR. The CAFTA-DR agreement entered into force for the Dominican Republic on March 1, 2007.”

The relationship between the Dominican Republic and the United States has been a good one since the brief invasion and occupation in 1916 until 1924. Not only did the US implement a better structure for growth but establish new large landowners and establish a better foundation for a democratic government. The Government of the Dominican Republic is at this time a bit more stable. In young nations history regard its political background is riddled with political uprisings and economic chaos.

The Dominican Republic is a nation with a rich history and pride in its heritage. The Dominican Republic has very interesting cultural background and range of social norms, along with past of political unrest ranging from occupations to uprisings and economic chaos to growth. The Dominican Republic is a nation which is not only important to the history of Latin American it also influential to the cultural growth of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Bibliography

Brice, A. (2009, July 19). Dominican Republic protests growing. Retrieved september 16, 2009, from CNN: http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2009/03/31/dominican-republic-protests-growing/

Central Intelligence Agency. (2009). CIA-WORLD FACTBOOK-Domincan Republic. Retrieved september 4th, 2009, from CIA.gov: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/dr.html

GARLO, E. V. (2000). Culture of Dominican Republic. Retrieved september 2009, from Everyculture.com: http://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/Dominican-Republic.html

Infoplease.com. (2009). Population Density per square mile of Countries. Retrieved september 5th, 2009, from Infoplease.com: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0934666.html

theodora.com. (2005, april 3rd). Dominican Republic People 1989. Retrieved september 5th, 2009, from theodora.com: http://www.theodora.com/wfb1989/dominican_republic/dominican_republic_people.html

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United States Department of State. (2009, June). Dominican Republic(06/09). Retrieved September 26, 2009, from www.state.gov: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35639.htm

World Bank. (2009, september). Dominican Republic - Country Economic Memorandum: "The Foundations of Growth and Competitiveness. Retrieved september 26, 2009, from web.worldbank.org: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/LACEXT/0,,contentMDK:21144892~pagePK:146736~piPK:146830~theSitePK:258554,00.html

World Bank. (2009, september). Dominican Republic- Dominican Republic Country Brief. Retrieved September 2009, from web.worldbank.org: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/LACEXT/DOMINICANEXTN/0,,contentMDK:20210333~menuPK:337775~pagePK:1497618~piPK:217854~theSitePK:337769,00.html

worldwar4 report. (2009, august 12). Dominican Republic: medical workers extend strike. Retrieved september 16, 2009, from ww4report.com: http://www.ww4report.com/node/7678