by Valentina Peguero

This is a revealing study of 20-century immigration and racial politics in the Dominican Republic. The little-known settlements of Japanese immigrants in the Dominican Republic are the basis for this richly informed history of 20th century migration to the Caribbean and Latin America. Yet the connection of Japan to the region is strong, with a considerable volume of trade and approximately 1.5 million individuals of Japanese descent in this area, an estimated 60% of them in Brazil. Dr. Peguero conducted extensive fieldwork and research and weaves together the history of racism and eugenics, nationalism, war, colonialism, power, money, population, food needs, language, and culture for this revealing examination of immigration to the Caribbean.

Professor Valentina Peguero has written an original study which portraits the origins and results of a singular experiment of cultural and ecological adaptation of a small group of poor Japanese peasants who migrated to the Dominican Republic in the 1950s and learned to thrive in a harsh tropical environment and a difficult political milieu. Based on numerous interviews, as well as official Dominican documents, this book is a compassionate account of a little known saga of human resilience and survival.─Frank Moya Pons, Academia Dominicana de la Historia, Associate Visiting Professor, University of Florida

310 pp., softcover, with 34 b & w illustrations, 6 x 9 inches. 

Cat. #: CSP4281
ISBN #: 9781584324821