In Afro-Mexico: Dancing Between Myth and Reality, Anita González provides overviews of folk dances performed within and beyond the Afro-Mexican population. She reports that the greatest influence on her evaluation of said dances is the “theoretical writings of dance scholars, in particular, those who evaluate African Diaspora performance” (5). As such, González provides intricate descriptions of the characters, spatial relationships, steps, and music of various folk dances originating on both coasts by using engaging, even poetic storytelling techniques. Additionally, the author provides an extensive colonial and post-colonial history of the development of theater and performance in Mexico in order to frame her analysis. Further, González analyzes the use of masks and the presentation of archetypes within festival and dance. By doing so, she definitively enhances the increasing data on Afro-Mexican folk dance and lays groundwork for further research and scholarship on the African Diaspora as it manifests itself through festival and dance in Mexico.
However, it is difficult, at times, to follow González’ patterns of analysis when the author turns her attention to Afro-Mexican identity and stereotypes. Although she does define phenotypes, stereotypes, and archetypes for her audience (87), she consistently toggles between detailed descriptions of the dances and superficial analysis of their meanings. Though she calls on the “powers that be” from the fields of anthropology and folkloristics, González nonetheless provides a superficial treatment of the communities and folk who create the festivals and their corresponding dances. Further, while her historical recount of theater and performance is interesting and well written, it seems to stop just short of crediting the Spanish for the existence of folk dance performances in general, even those whose subject matter clearly identifies them as the result of Indigenous and African interaction. González also seems to fall into the fold of those who characterize Afro-Mexicans on the east coast as being ignorant of their heritage and “living in the shadow of Cuba” (34) when there is clear evidence that many communities along the east coast claim African heritage through colonial slavery. Perhaps my concern stems from a lack of evidence that the author has collected stories surrounding self-identity and folk customs from the performers and communities in which they are performed. The author describes areas where phenotypes are barely discernable to outsiders, and this is indeed the case in many areas of Mexico. However, when such is the case, it becomes even more important to collect evidence on how community members define their “blackness” using their own terminology, regardless of whether it can be easily translated and analyzed by scholars. Likewise, finding similarities within our own cultures to define phenomena in other cultures risks altering the intended meaning of the folk; therefore, more care must be taken when presenting a comparative analysis as matter-of-fact.
González does approach the topic of folkloric nationalism in Mexico and meticulously describes the historiographical elements that lead to this trend of staged performance. However, she analyzes the trend as to its “authenticity,” which is a term some folklorists have avoided since Dorson first presented the idea of fakelore. Instead, one would be prudent to discuss whether or not the danza folklórica that exists in Mexico today still fits within the category of folklore at all. As the author describes, contemporary changes to the dances include stripping it of any practices that might make the elite class uncomfortable, thereby transforming them from folk, to normative, and finally to elite status, taught by academics and transmitted through staged public displays. Certainly folklorisms such as this also exist when practitioners of dance move away from the original intent, say to stage a performance without its corresponding rituals for the benefit of scholars and other outsiders. However, the new performance is also a product of the folk from within its custom and community. The same cannot be said of danza folklórica.
Overall, Afro-Mexico: Dancing Between Myth and Reality is a strong work in ethnographic history and is a significant addition to the analysis of folk dance in the Afro-Mexican communities on the Costa Chica. Future works from González will perhaps provide deeper explanations of connections between folk dance and ethnic identity, and a better understanding of her methodology for collecting the folklore surrounding these dances will surface. Certainly, the general public will enjoy this work since González is a skilled writer who is able to accentuate her points with clear, colorful photographs usually not available in scholarly works of this type.
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[Review length: 737 words • Review posted on November 9, 2011]