Imperial Secrets: Vampires and Nationhood in Puerto Rico

Derby explores a popular fantasy of secrecy at the heart of US imperial statecraft, one in which the federal government is presumed to be a cipher for diabolical intentions and the state appears as a surreptitious and malevolent force. Born of a particular contradiction that is deeply Puerto Rican,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Past & present 2008-01, Vol.199 (suppl-3), p.290-312
Main Author: Derby, Lauren
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Federal government
Folklore
Myths
Puerto Rico
Sovereignty
Superstition
Vampires
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Summary:Derby explores a popular fantasy of secrecy at the heart of US imperial statecraft, one in which the federal government is presumed to be a cipher for diabolical intentions and the state appears as a surreptitious and malevolent force. Born of a particular contradiction that is deeply Puerto Rican, one of extensive US presence which is concurrently shrouded in wonder due to its very inscrutability, the chupacabras then provides with a glimpse of the phenomenology of US imperial power at the fin-de-siecle by the poor and marginal who live in its shadows. He also explains why the chupacabras was ultimately embraced with some humor, since it bespoke a profound ambivalence about things American that resonates deeply with many Puerto Ricans. Moreover, he proposes that the chupacabras belief was an urban legend, a popular commentary on modernity and its risks as they are perceived in Puerto Rico.
ISSN:0031-2746
1477-464X
DOI:10.1093/pastj/gtm069