Threatening Others e-bog

During the last two decades, a decline in public investment has undermined some of the national values and institutions of Costa Rica. The resulting sense of dislocation and loss is usually projected onto Nicaraguan "e;immigrants."e;Threatening Others: Nicaraguans and the Formation of National Identities in Costa Rica explores the representation of the Nicaraguan "e;other"e; in the Costa Rican imagery. It also seeks to address more generally why the sense of national belonging constitutes a crucial identification in contemporary societies. Interdisciplinary and based on extensive fieldwork, it looks critically at the "e;exceptionalism"e; that Costa Ricans take for granted and view as a part of their national identity.Carlos Sandoval-Garcia argues that Nicaraguan immigrants, once perceived as a "e;communist threat,"e; are now victims of an invigorated, racialized politics in which the Nicaraguan nationality has become an offense in itself.Threatening Others is a deeply searching book that will interest scholars and students in Latin American studies and politics, cultural studies, and ethnic studies.