Violence and Post-National Costa Rican Identity in <i>Limón Reggae</i>

Anacristina Rossi’s novels have received critical attention relating to their presentation of pan-Caribbean identity and other challenges to the mythical national identity of the tico. Building on scholarship by Manzari and Kearns, I argue that <i>Limón Reggae</i> presents a representati...

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Main Author: Anne Marie Stachura
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-06-01
Series:Humanities
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/12/4/56
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author Anne Marie Stachura
author_facet Anne Marie Stachura
author_sort Anne Marie Stachura
collection DOAJ
description Anacristina Rossi’s novels have received critical attention relating to their presentation of pan-Caribbean identity and other challenges to the mythical national identity of the tico. Building on scholarship by Manzari and Kearns, I argue that <i>Limón Reggae</i> presents a representation of the post-national community and that the violent conditions that mark the protagonist’s life not only debunk the national myth of a peaceful Costa Rica, but also comment on the impossibility of belonging in the post-national community. The pain that the protagonist experiences as a result of her interpersonal relationships reflects the difficulty of forming a community after the bounds of the nation have become less defined by globalization, even to individuals who come from groups not traditionally included in the definition of a Costa Rican citizen, such as the protagonist. With the breakdown of categories of affiliation across lines of geography, race, language, and class, the protagonist is able to move easily between places and groups, but her encounters with ‘others’ are complicated by the post-national condition.
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spelling doaj.art-10f3d13a7bf0498686c7b4d463d2824a2023-11-19T01:22:18ZengMDPI AGHumanities2076-07872023-06-011245610.3390/h12040056Violence and Post-National Costa Rican Identity in <i>Limón Reggae</i>Anne Marie Stachura0Department of Spanish and Linguistics, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA 17603, USAAnacristina Rossi’s novels have received critical attention relating to their presentation of pan-Caribbean identity and other challenges to the mythical national identity of the tico. Building on scholarship by Manzari and Kearns, I argue that <i>Limón Reggae</i> presents a representation of the post-national community and that the violent conditions that mark the protagonist’s life not only debunk the national myth of a peaceful Costa Rica, but also comment on the impossibility of belonging in the post-national community. The pain that the protagonist experiences as a result of her interpersonal relationships reflects the difficulty of forming a community after the bounds of the nation have become less defined by globalization, even to individuals who come from groups not traditionally included in the definition of a Costa Rican citizen, such as the protagonist. With the breakdown of categories of affiliation across lines of geography, race, language, and class, the protagonist is able to move easily between places and groups, but her encounters with ‘others’ are complicated by the post-national condition.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/12/4/56Costa Ricaglobal communityviolence21st-century novelLatin American literature
spellingShingle Anne Marie Stachura
Violence and Post-National Costa Rican Identity in <i>Limón Reggae</i>
Humanities
Costa Rica
global community
violence
21st-century novel
Latin American literature
title Violence and Post-National Costa Rican Identity in <i>Limón Reggae</i>
title_full Violence and Post-National Costa Rican Identity in <i>Limón Reggae</i>
title_fullStr Violence and Post-National Costa Rican Identity in <i>Limón Reggae</i>
title_full_unstemmed Violence and Post-National Costa Rican Identity in <i>Limón Reggae</i>
title_short Violence and Post-National Costa Rican Identity in <i>Limón Reggae</i>
title_sort violence and post national costa rican identity in i limon reggae i
topic Costa Rica
global community
violence
21st-century novel
Latin American literature
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/12/4/56
work_keys_str_mv AT annemariestachura violenceandpostnationalcostaricanidentityinilimonreggaei