The Work of Recognition

“Accomplishes the difficult task of providing readers with a lucid overview of national politics, a complex regional history, and a nuanced portrait of 19th-century Afro-Colombian society along the Caribbean Colombian coasts.” — CHOICE

“Tightly-argued….[The Work of Recognition] shall become required reading for those interested in Colombian history.” — American Historical Review

“Fascinating. . . . Strongly recommend[ed] . . . to any scholar interested in the process of abolition, its agents, and its consequences worldwide.” — New West Indian Guide

“This innovative book places a marginalized region and marginalized peoples at the center of the historical narrative of the transformations and conflicts of the second half of the nineteenth century. Integrating intellectual and political history, McGraw demonstrates the strong and largely overlooked impact Afro-Colombians had on regional and national history.” — Nancy Appelbaum, Binghamton University

“McGraw’s wonderful archival depth, his sensitivity toward literary sources, and the provocative way he foregrounds racial politics have yielded an important book that allows historians to understand what came before the overwhelming language of 'metizaje' as a language of citizenship, exploring the cultural politics of the nineteenth century in a way that throws the racial conceptions of the twentieth century into relief.” — Ann Farnsworth-Alvear, University of Pennsylvania

“A pathbreaking contribution to postemancipation studies, The Work of Recognition reveals the hidden importance of race in Colombian politics by focusing on the struggles led by the mostly Afro-descended workers of the Caribbean region to forge a democratic and inclusive nation.” — Aline Helg, Université de Genève