Whiteness In Puerto Rico

Reviews / Votes

Guillermo Rebollo-Gil's Whiteness in Puerto Rico is a remarkable reflection on the hegemonic, but not monolithic, power of whiteness in Puerto Rico. Clear, crisp, and beautifully written, Rebollo-Gil's auto-ethnography achieves a level of creativity, honesty, and intimacy that is rare, refreshing, and admirable, without ever falling on trite anti-racist posturing. Mandatory reading for anyone interested in understanding how white privilege operates in so-called "racial democracies," and developing effective anti-racist collective projects in Puerto Rico and beyond. * Ana Y. Ramos-Zayas, author of 'Parenting Empires: Class, Whiteness and the Moral Economy of Privilege in Latin America' * The category blanquito in Puerto Rico means more than just whiteness. It refers to a specific form of embodied white privilege that combines race, class, (colonial)power, place and even language. As a blanquito himself (or born and raised as one) and an experienced narrator, the author skillfully uses his own biography, complemented with interviews and recent historical events, to show us how blanquitos happen, how they learn to be and behave, how they stay in power and how they help perpetuate racism. Rebollo Gil has given us a highly engaging book that should be read by anyone interested in the use of autoethnography to tackle difficult questions and understand contemporary social issues. * Rima Brusi, anthropologist and author of 'Fantasmas' * Whiteness rules best in silence. In this important collection of essays, Professor Rebollo Gil cracks its rule by discussing how blanquitos (rich white folks) in Puerto Rico deploy their whiteness in a variety of ways and spaces. His interrogation comes from a deep place as he is himself a blanquito. This book deserves serious attention as it unveils a face of whiteness in a self-proclaimed racial paradise. * Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, author of 'Racism Without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in America' *