Dynamics of the Early Construction of Citizenship of the Afrodescendant Population in Costa Rica, 1880-1924

Abstract

This article analyzes the participation of Afro-Caribbean men as officials in different local officees within the bureaucratic structure of the State in the Province of Limón, Costa Rica, in order to discuss the relevance of this phenomenon as a background for the construction of citizenship of the afrodescendants in said province, between 1880 and 1924. In a racist society such as that of Costa Rica, this is relevant because afrodescendant men of Jamaican origin held public offices, notwithstanding the regulations that impeded foreigners from occupying these positions. The research seeks to comprehend this phenomenon by analyzing the contemporary legislation that regulated the public positions studied and the participation of the afrodescendant population in these offices, as well as the role their communities played in acquiring access to the institutions. Based on the available sources, a preliminary conclusion is that the incorporation of Afro-Caribbean men into the public service in Limón was due to two mechanisms: on the one hand, their communities’ efforts in favor of their contracts and, on the other, the State’s interest in contracting them. It is also concluded that although their incorporation as officials of the State did not automatically result in formal citizenship, it opened new spaces for their exercise of certain rights that were reserved, in principle, only to Costa Ricans.