Black Liberation Through the Marketplace: Hope, Heartbreak, and the Promise of America

Abstract

Conversations about inter-ethnic relations are often complex, especially if one ethnic group or community was historically discriminated against by the other. Such conversations are often politically and emotionally polarized; accusation, blame and grievances are resorted to, and redistribution of goods and retribution are recommended. Instead of paving the way for cordial and peaceful coexistence, revanchist discourses dig trenches of sadness, hatred, misunderstanding and resentment. This tone often characterizes interethnic conversations in Guatemala and other multiethnic societies, hence the timeliness of the book Black Liberation Through the Marketplace: Hope, Heartbreak, and the Promise of America, whose title could be roughly translated this way: African American Liberation Through the Marketplace: Hope, Heartbreak, and the Promise of America.