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Social Iden i ies
Jou nal o he S udy o Race, Na ion and Cul u e
ISSN: 1350-4630 (P in ) 1363-0296 (Online) Jou nal homepage: h p://www. and online.com/loi/csid20
A is ic au onomy in non-au onomous con ex s:
e aming collec i e agency and insu gence om
Ca ibbean a is -managed spaces
Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano
To ci e his a icle: Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano (2017): A is ic au onomy in non-au onomous
con ex s: e aming collec i e agency and insu gence om Ca ibbean a is -managed spaces,
Social Iden i ies
To link o his a icle: h p://dx.doi.o g/10.1080/13504630.2017.1303370
Published online: 17 Ma 2017.
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A is ic au onomy in non-au onomous con ex s: e aming
collec i e agency and insu gence om Ca ibbean
a is -managed spaces
Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano
Compa a i e S udies Cen e , Uni e si y o Lisbon, Faculdade de Le as, Alameda da Uni e sidade, Lisbon,
Po ugal
ABSTRACT
This a icle engages he deba es on collec i e agency, au onomy,
ins i u ional p ac ices and socially engaged a by compa a i ely
analyzing he ac i i y o wo Ca ibbean a is -managed spaces
which eme ged in he i s decade o he wen y- i s cen u y:
Be aLocal in Pue o Rico and L’A oca pe in Guadeloupe. Based on
ieldwo k esea ch and in e iews wi h a is s and a audiences,
he examina ion o bo h p ojec s will be d i en by h ee main
objec i es: he i s has o do wi h assessing in which ways bo h
ini ia i es a e shaped by hei eme gence in e i o ies s ill
a ached o poli ical and economic bonds. Secondly, I a emp o
measu e how bo h collec i e a is ic o ganiza ions can app oach
he ma e ial condi ions o cul u al ( e)p oduc ion and au onomy,
con on ing he es ic ions o Pue o Rican and Guadeloupean
cul u al and economic policies. Finally, I in end o loca e my case
s udy wi hin a global pano ama o socially engaged and
collabo a i e a is ic p ac ice. F om his pe spec i e, I asse ha
collabo a i e p ac ices eme ging in s ill dependen con ex s
cons i u e a p i ileged iewpoin in o de o examine issues o
collec i e agency, empowe men and al e na i e u u es.
ARTICLE HISTORY
Recei ed 18 Augus 2016
Accep ed 27 Feb ua y 2017
KEYWORDS
A is -managed spaces;
au onomy; Ca ibbean;
collec i e agency socially
engaged a
The ecen in e es in analyzing and his o icizing Ca ibbean a is ic p ac ices is no wi hou
i s blind spo s. Especially bla an in his ega d is he a en ion ha in as uc u al and
o ganiza ional ini ia i es ha e ecei ed. The e is a s iking lack o a en ion being paid
o a is ic p ojec s a emp ing o de ine non-comme cial, collec i e modes o c ea i i y.
Ins ead, much mo e a en ion has been paid a how he egion has been ende ed
exo ic, labeled and commodi ized.
1
Whoe e app oaches he his o ies o con empo a y
Ca ibbean isual c ea i i y will ind an indi idual egis e , made up o singula ized
names, issues and causes. The ac ha many o hese a is s equen ly a ise om and
de elop hei ca ee s h ough collabo a i e, a is -managed pla o ms is men ioned wi h
less equency. Some hing simila happens wi h he ole o Ca ibbean c ea o s in ede in-
ing cul u al and social agency in local con ex s. The p ac ical si ua ion o many o he
a is s li ing in he egion, and somehow o many ‘local’a scenes, is somehow neglec ed
© 2017 In o ma UK Limi ed, ading as Taylo & F ancis G oup
CONTACT Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano [email p o ec ed]
SOCIAL IDENTITIES, 2017
h p://dx.doi.o g/10.1080/13504630.2017.1303370
by he a o able analysis o he ans o ma i e quali ies o indi idual aes he ic discou ses
(Figu es 1–9).
I will no aim o o e u n his c i ical adi ion. Ins ead, his ex pu sues a a mo e
modes and ocused objec i e: o see how a is ic collabo a ion wo ks in, and esponds
o, Ca ibbean con ex s s ill subjec ed o poli ical and economic bonds wi h hei o me
me opolis.
2
In o de o do so, I will compa a i ely examine he ac i i y o Be aLocal, a
Pue o Rican a is -managed space, and L’A oca pe, he i s collabo a i e ini ia i e
a ising in he F ancophone a chipelago o Guadeloupe. Pue o Rico is an Associa ed
F ee S a e (Es ado Lib e Asociado) o he Uni ed S a es since 1952. Guadeloupe is a
F ench ‘Dépa emen d’Ou e Me ’since 1946. The cul u al milieu o bo h con ex s is p o-
oundly a ec ed by his condi ion o poli ical, adminis a i e and economic dependence.
The me opoli an e i o ies s ill de e mine wha a e he models o be ollowed, he enues
whe e a should be exhibi ed, which p ojec s a e unded and unde wha condi ions, he
colleges and a schools ha a is s a e supposed o join, e ce e a. Bo h Be aLocal and L’A -
oca pe eme ge ou o his p edicamen , bu hey also s and as c i ical esponses o i .
C ea ed in he 2000s, bo h p ojec s sha e many elemen s: hey ely on ho izon al and lex-
ible o ganiza ional s uc u es; hey go beyond ep esen a ional and indi idual concep u-
aliza ions o a is ic p ac ice; hey agglu ina e he e ogeneous, ‘unusual’audiences; hey
ca y ou ex a-a is ic unc ions; hey, inally, ope a e locally while also coun e ing a
dependency owa d me opoli an e i o ies. Those elemen s cons i u e, I will a gue, an
in e es ing cul u al model o wo pa icula easons: i s , hey challenge he image o
he Ca ibbean as p o ide o ‘c ea i e aw ma e ial’, o indi idual discou ses and a wo ks
ha need a o eign hand o be a icula ed unde mo e complex cu a o ial o ins i u ional
agendas; second, hey a emp o sub e he dependency o bo h Pue o Rico and Gua-
deloupe by gene a ing c i ical cul u al dynamics. To be su e, al e na i e spaces and
Figu e 1. Be aLocal. La P ác ica P og am. 2012. Image Cou esy o Bea iz San iago Muñoz.
2C. GARRIDO CASTELLANO
Figu e 3. Be aLocal. Wo kshop on Cul u al Managemen . 2011. Image Cou esy o Bea iz San iago
Muñoz.
Figu e 2. Be aLocal-Old San Juan (Pue o Rico). Image Cou esy o Bea iz San iago Muñoz.
SOCIAL IDENTITIES 3
Figu e 4. Be aLocal. Ou doo P ojec . 2011. Image Cou esy o Bea iz San iago Muñoz.
Figu e 5. Be aLocal. Po luck. Image Cou esy o Bea iz San iago Muñoz.
4C. GARRIDO CASTELLANO

collabo a i e p ac ices a e e y much p esen in any a is ic genealogy, being a usual
suspec in many con empo a y a is ic con ex s. Kes e (2011, p. 5) has linked he
success o a is ic collabo a ion wi h ‘ he ise o a powe ul neolibe al economic o de
dedica ed o elimina ing all o ms o collec i e o public esis ance (ins i u ional, ideologi-
cal and o ganiza ional) o he p imacy o capi al’. This landscape would appea amilia o
anyone wo king in he cul u al milieu no wi hs anding o he loca ion. Ha ing said ha , I
also belie e ha no he obs acles de i ing om ha si ua ion, no he esponses o i ,
cons i u e a homogeneous pano ama. By paying a en ion a how collabo a ion and
al e na i e ins i u ionalism a e pu in o p ac ice in wo con ex s s ongly in luenced by
i s colonial si ua ion, in his a icle I a emp o show how bo h Be aLocal and L’A oca pe
o e a an age poin om which he analysis o eme gen in as uc u al p ac ices can be
amed.
Two main objec i es will cen e my analysis. The i s one ocuses on assessing he
speci ic in collabo a i e, in as uc u al p ojec s aking place wi hin e i o ies s ill bound
by ela ionships o dependency. A e we o imagine hose as an excep ion in an o he wise
seemingly homogeneous global social imagina ion ma ked by neolibe al economic and
social cu en s? Is he e any hing unique o hese p ojec s, in a momen supposedly
ma ked by he o ces o inc easingly de- e i o ialized and ansna ional phenomena? In
o he wo ds, i collec i ism is associa ed wi h au onomy, o ganiza ional capaci y and col-
lec i e agency, wha ele ance can we concede o he ‘non-au onomous locali y’in which
ou case s udies ope a e? In which way will ha locali y de e mine and cons ain he
expec a ions and agendas o hese p ojec s? And inally, i we a e o ecognize some
Figu e 6. L’A oca pe-De ail o he B ead F ui T ee a e which he space is named. Image: The au ho
o his a icle.
SOCIAL IDENTITIES 5
inhe en singula i y in hese p ojec s, wha a e he con ibu ions o L’A oca pe and Be a-
local o he p esen global na a i es and he po en iali ies o (a is ic) collabo a ion? Sec-
ondly, I will seek o examine how bo h p ojec s engage ac i e, ans o ma i e ac ions,
he eby enabling al e na i e ins i u ional p ac ices. I we a e o ecognize an eme gen ,
ans o ma i e po en ial in (ce ain) collec i e a p ac ices, i will be necessa y o
Figu e 7. L’A oca pe-Le Moule (Guadeloupe). Image Cou esy o Joëlle Fe ly.
6C. GARRIDO CASTELLANO
measu e o wha ex en his po en ial can be cap u ed by he ins i u ional logic p esen in
Pue o Rico and Guadeloupe. Be o e ha , I will in oduce b ie ly he his o y o in as uc-
u al and collec i e a is ic c ea i i y in he Ca ibbean in which my wo p ojec s a e
inse ed.
In as uc u al and collec i e a is ic agency in he Ca ibbean
Al hough he eme gence o Be aLocal and L’A oca pe can be linked o he e e escence
o o ganiza ional, poli ically engaged and in as uc u al p ac ices ac oss he wo ld and
specially in he Ame icas (see C a en, 2006; Mosque a, 1996; Thompson, 2012), hey
also con inue a long adi ion o socially engaged a p esen in bo h coun ies. In he
case o Pue o Rico, we can ecall a long adi ion o al e na i e spaces s a ing al eady
in he 60s wi h An onio Ma o ell’s Talle Alac án,
3
and consolida ing in he 70s and 80s
h ough a is -d i en ini ia i es such as Casa Aboy, he Liga de Es udian es de A e, Casa
Candina, MSA o he ac ual Museo de A e Con empo áneo de Pue o Rico (MAC),
loca ed since 2002 in Casa Lab a. Pue o Rican al e na i e spaces and socially d i en p o-
jec s will gain momen um in he 2000s, in a con ex o poli ical and economic ins abili y.
The ac ions o Chemi Rosado Seijo in El Ce o, pe haps one o he mos in e na ionally
acclaimed ini ia i es, will p elude he bu s o al e na i e spaces and p ojec s ha will
ma k he decade, among hem Á ea, =Des o, 787, Ca Wa ch, Me o, Clandes ino787,
Conboca o The S a us (see Sega a, 2012). The impac o hose p ojec s in he de ini ion
o a public sphe e in Pue o Rico has been c ucial: many o hem ha e s i en o su i e in
Figu e 8. L’A oca pe. G oup Con e sa ion wi h esiden Fabienne Viala. 2014. Image Cou esy o Joëlle
Fe ly.
SOCIAL IDENTITIES 7
he yea s o he deb c isis, p o iding a is s a space o a i ma ion, deba e and c ea i i y. I
comes wi h no su p ise ha hey ha e engaged ac i ely mos o he poli ical and econ-
omic causes he coun y has gone h ough in he las decade, om he con lic o so e -
eign y in Vieques Island o he s ikes agains he p i a iza ion o uni e si y educa ion in
he la e 2000s.
In he case o he F ancophone Ca ibbean, we can also men ion a is ic collec i es
seeking o anscend he colonial he i age and he dependence owa d he F ench me o-
polis. The École Neg o-Ca aïbe, ounded in 1970 by he pain e Louis Lauchez and he
sculp o Se ge Hélénon, a emp ed o challenge he in luence o academic a is ic edu-
ca ion and he hegemony o an unp oblema ic and s e eo yped ision o he Ca ibbean
opical landscape. D i en by a Pan A icanis ideology, L’École sough o ein o ce he
link be ween he F ancophone Ca ibbean and A ica (see Fall & Pi in, 2002;L’É ang,
2007). La e on, in he 80s, he collec i e Fwomajé will ocus on de ining a mili an
ision o c eoli é, a emp ing o inse a is ic p ac ice wi hin he local insula eali y
(Tibu ce, 1994).
This adi ion, mo eo e , is no a p e oga i e o Pue o Rico o Guadelopue. Ini ia i es
like CCA7, Alice Ya d and Gal anize in T inidad
4
; F esh Milk in Ba bados
5
; LASA, Espacio
Aglu inado , he Cá ed a de A e y Conduc a o DUPP in Cuba
6
o he Ins i u o Buena
Bis a in Cu ação,
7
o name jus a ew, ha e been key in p omo ing al e na i e app oaches
o c ea i i y and in inca dina ing non-a is ic audiences in cul u al p ocesses. They ha e
also p omo ed a is ic mobili y wi hin he egion. Th ough long- e m ac ions, hey ha e
opened up a space o discussion and o ganiza ion, coun e ing he dynamic o ma ke
Figu e 9. Pa icipa ion o a G oup o Guadeloupean A is s a FESMAN, Daka , 2011. Image cou esy o
Joëlle Fe ly.
8C. GARRIDO CASTELLANO
in e na ional isi o s. The cha ging o an admission ee helps o o se he inancing o
Be aLocal’s ellowship p og ams. In u n, a e de eloping hei esidency, Be aLocal’s
in e ns o en o ganize ano he e en o gene a e unding o he nex ellowship, esi-
dency o lec u e .
I goes wi hou saying ha bo h ini ia i es ha e a widely known genealogy. To men ion
only he mos ecen and eadily iden i iable laye s o ha genealogy, we may conside
how he lib a y clea ly esembles Thomas Hi schho n’s‘Monumen s’. The image o
Ri k i Ti a anija’s cooking in museums and biennials comes o mind when conside ing
Be aLocal’s po luck dinne , as do, o example, Supe lex’s und- aising e en s. Despi e
hese p eceden s, i is in e es ing o ocus on how hese ac i i ies wo k he e. The du a-
ional cha ac e o bo h ac ions de aches bo h p ojec s om collabo a i e p ojec s such
as Thomas Hi schho n’s monumen s o Ti a anija’s cooking. Hi schho n’s‘pa icipa o y
p ojec s’also ely on he ga he ing o local knowledge and he gene a ion o spaces o
coexis ence in speci ic con ex s du ing he ime o he exhibi ion o biennial. The empo -
ali y o each p ojec is also con ingen upon he gene al e en hey a e pa o . Simila ly,
he ‘locali y’o he ‘pa icipan s’is de e mined by he a is , and he space o he exchange
is dependen on he majo s uc u e o a biennial (see Kes e , 2011). Conce ning he a ge
audiences, in he case o Be aLocal, he public is no ‘con ened’by he p omise o pa i-
cipa ing in a singula expe ience designed by high-p o ile a is s. Ins ead, bo h he lib a y
and he po lucks a e imagined as pe iodical pla o ms o social in e ac ion. Fa om being
uni e sal – hey sha e he same di icul ies in ga he ing ‘non-a is ic’audiences Be aLocal
is inding in o he occasions – hey o m pa o a pla o m o ac i i ies ha eaches (again,
wi h limi a ions) ac oss a is ic and non-a is ic sphe es. Finally, ano he di e ence comes
in he o m o unc ion. A Be aLocal, i is impossible o de ach he con igu a ion o he
lib a y and he po lucks as social, suppo i e ac i i ies wi hin he amewo k o ‘mo e alu-
able’a is ic p ac ices. They a e –and hey in end o be –pa o a o ali y. Fu he mo e,
hey in end o be pa o an o ganiza ional, unc ional s uc u e.
Now, can we ca ego ize his unc ionali y as ‘ins i u ional’? How ‘coun e -ins i u ional’
a e Be aLocal and L’A oca pe? Indeed, how ‘coun e -ins i u ional’can collec i ism ac ually
be? In he con e sa ions I had wi h (sympa he ic) audiences and wi h each p ojec ’s coo -
dina o s, hey concu ed ha he e was a conside able dis ance be ween he ac i i ies
being de eloped by Be aLocal and L’A oca pe and hose o museums, uni e si ies and
o he cul u al cen e s. In o de o sus ain his a gumen , ques ions o accessibili y, al e na-
i eness and ma ginali y equen ly appea ed. So did no ions o in o mali y, lexibili y and
pa icipa ion.
We mus be cau ious in de ining his di e en ia ion, howe e . To ci e one simple eason
o his, many o hese same quali ie s can be used o cha ac e ize he ac i i ies o he wo
majo con empo a y a museums in San Juan. The Pue o Rican case is no excep ional a
all in his sense. Nowadays, cul u al ins i u ions ha e swallowed and inco po a ed c i icism
and ‘pa icipa ion’wi hin hei own discou se (see Albe o & S imson, 2009; Raunig & Ray,
2009; Welchman, 2006). ‘In o mali y’and lexibili y a e no longe excluded om he lexicon
o e en he mos adi ional a ins i u ions. On he con a y, museums, a cen e s and
biennials ha e displayed a consumma e skill a inco po a ing bo h c i icism and collabo a-
i e and pa icipa o y p ac ices wi hin hei agendas. As a consequence o his con usion,
he claim ha cul u al ins i u ions ul ill p ac ical social needs is mo e ubiqui ous han e e .
As we ha e s a ed, ne e heless, his is no always he case. On he con a y, he Ca ibbean
SOCIAL IDENTITIES 15

a is ic medium is a good example o he limi a ions o a is ic audiences in e m o ace,
gende and class.
I would be emp ing o con igu e my wo p ojec s wi hin a amewo k ha is ‘ou side’
o ex e nal o ins i u ional powe , as pa o a coun e -hegemonic posi ion o esis ance.
Howe e , I doub ha his opposi ion be ween ins i u ional and coun e -ins i u ional p ac-
ices applies o my wo case s udies. Fo he examples I ha e p o ided seem o be mo e
han opposi ional o exodus measu es. They a e, on he con a y, p oduc i e ones.
18
They
p esen , I sugges , a mo e ambi alen ela ionship be ween ans o ma i e ac ion and
ins i u ional powe . In bo h ini ia i es, he e is a desi e o gene a ing he ‘imme si e in e -
ac ion and [a] e e en ial o ien a ion o speci ic si es o social p oduc ion’ ha Kes e (2011,
p. 37) ecognizes in collabo a i e p ac ices. Simila ly, we ha e seen how L’A oca pe
esponded o he lack o pla o ms o c i ical dialogue in Guadeloupe by adop ing a
union-like scheme. Bo h s uc u es eme ged ou side o any es ic ed o p eexis ing
no ion o collec i e iden i ies o g oups. Ra he , hese iden i ies ma e ialized h ough
p axis and ac ion. I is his abili y o imagine and pe o m he e ogeneous collec i e
agencies which uels hei ope a ional capaci y.
Conclusions
Wi h ega d o he cons uc ion o a museum in he (s ill dependen ) space o Réunion,
Ve gès (2007, p. 455, ou ansla ion) ecen ly asked in wha way can an ins i u ion ope -
a ing in such a con ex con ibu e ‘ o he emancipa ion o indi iduals, ha is, o hei
capaci y o imagining new ways o li ing, o being ci izens, o being cu ious, o c ea -
ing’. Shi ing om museums o a is -managed spaces, his pape aims o e ame ques-
ions such as hese. To wha ex en does an a is -managed space ame hose
ques ions in a di e en way? O , i we wish o conside his issue om a mo e nega i e
s ance: wha would be he ole –and wha would be he na u e –o any such ins i-
u ion ha ails o achie e hose insu gen goals? In his a icle, I ha e a emp ed o
ex apola e hose gene al ques ions o he con ex o non-au onomous e i o ies in
he Ca ibbean.
The wo case s udies I ha e analyzed in his a icle o e good examples o how in a-
s uc u al a is ic p ac ice can p oduce si ua ions in which new kinds o wo k a e made
possible. They o e a model o p ac ice no subsumable unde innocuous and deco a i e
iews o a is ic esis ance and insu gence opposed o abs ac , ex e nal (and e e nal)
powe s. Ra he , bo h spaces s and o a kind o cul u al expe ience ha di ec ly and p ac-
ically challenges he dependen , ma e ial con igu a ion o Pue o Rico and Guadeloupe,
hus p oposing al e na i e o ganiza ional esponses ha should no be unde s ood as
me ely symbolic, innocuous ges u es.
In his a icle, I ha e loca ed he ac i i y o L’A oca pe and Be aLocal wi hin a si ua ion
in which he es ic ions imposed by a non-au onomous and dependen condi ion gene -
a e new needs and new unc ions ha a e only a ainable h ough coope a ion and col-
labo a ion. Al hough many o hose unc ions a e p esen in any a is ic con ex , o he s
cons i u e esponses owa d he si ua ion o cul u al dependence owa d me opoli an
e i o ies bo h coun ies s ill expe ience. In he wo con ex s his a icle app oaches,
he side o ‘opaci y’and ‘an agonism’is al eady aken by indi idual p ac ices ha deem
hemsel es opposi ional owa d aguely de ined capi alis , (neo)colonial o ces. By
16 C. GARRIDO CASTELLANO
mo ing beyond ep esen a ional c i e ia, coope a i e p ac ices can challenge he limi -
a ions o such a model on wo on s: i s , hey a e able o add ess he ma e ial condi ions
o a is ic p oduc ion. Second, hey po ay an ins i u ional po en ial, ha is, a capaci y o
gene a ing an al e na i e amewo k o ac ion. This po en ial eac s agains wha B ian
Holmes (2007, p. 58) has e e ed o as he ‘go e nmen ali y o ailu e’, a si ua ion in
which ‘ he subjec can do no mo e han con empla e his o he own psychic p ison,
wi h a ew aes he ic luxu ies in compensa ion’.
Each sec ion o his a icle has a emp ed o b oach in de ail each o hese ques ions.
Conce ning he i s , my main in e es has been in ou lining how he Pue o Rican and
he Guadeloupean a is ic in as uc u es espond o wo di e en models, al hough
bo h a e in luenced by he colonial condi ion o hese e i o ies. I ha e ied o conside
whe he my wo examples a e al e na i es, and no e lec ions, o ha s a e o hings.
Being unable o coun e bo h coun ies’poli ical s a us, hese p ojec s ha e de eloped
he capaci y o ill some o he gaps le by o he ins i u ions and o he eby gene a e
social p ocesses o in e ac ion, discussion and coope a ion. As I ha e explained, hese p o-
cesses channel he e ogeneous agendas and ope a e wi h a iable audiences, o he ex en
ha hey c ea e, in some cases, discom o and disc epancy ( he he e ogenei y o he
associa es o L’A oca pe and he in e ac ion o he pa icipan s o Be aLocal’s di e en
ini ia i es a e good examples o his).
My second conce n was wi h he possibili y o he p ojec ’s capaci y o no only add ess
bu also ans o m he social condi ions o a is ic ac i i y. My in e es he e lay in explo ing
he po en ial o o ganiza ional models such as hese, e ealing how he unc ioning o
such ini ia i es can no only al e ques ions o app ecia ion, alo iza ion and ca ego iz-
a ion, bu also gene a e al e na i e ins i u ional dynamics and ope a ional pla o ms. As
an example, I ha e ocused on some o Be aLocal’s collabo a i e ini ia i es. Fa om
being unique, hese ini ia i es ha e had he signa u e o some ecognized a is s. I is sig-
ni ican how Be aLocal and L’A oca pe, as well as o he Ca ibbean spaces o his kind,
ha e come o be posi i ely alued bo h wi hin and beyond hei local con ex s. Some imes
his ecogni ion su passes ha o public and p i a e museums. In his sense, one can hink
o some o he p ojec s I men ioned ea lie on, such as CCA7, Gal anize and Alice Ya d in
T inidad, which ha e wo ked as pi o al egional cen e s. The T inidadian examples cons i-
u e ongoing expe imen s ha seek o ans o m he condi ions unde which a is p o-
duced and discussed. They a e e en mo e signi ican due o he anemic condi ion o
public o p i a e a is ic in as uc u es in ha coun y. I ha e ied o demons a e how
Ca ibbean a is -managed p ojec s ha e been pi o al in de eloping al e na i e engage-
men s wi h local eali y.
I ha e also sough o unde s and whe he he c ea i e po en ial I ha e desc ibed can be
ex apola ed o b oade la i udes and si ua ions. A e my wo examples excep ions o indi-
ca o s o a global s a e o hings? I ha e ied o show how a deepe analysis o collec i e
ini ia i es aking place in simila con ex s will no only inco po a e o go en o neglec ed
examples in o exis ing canons and a his o ies. Mo e clea ly, in app oaching hem, my
in e es has no been o ‘comple e’global mappings o collabo a i e p ac ices. On he con-
a y, I main ain ha he dependen condi ion o my e i o ies o analysis e eals i sel
especially eloquen ly in e ms o he po en ial, bu also some o he main deba es on
o ganiza ional and socially engaged a p ac ice on issues such as au onomy, unc ionali y,
labo , cohesion, p oduc i i y, isibili y, expe ise and ecogni ion.
SOCIAL IDENTITIES 17
The ac i i y o ou wo p ojec s is dependen upon such alues as du a ion, lexibili y,
ho izon ali y, inno a ion, exchange p ocess and connec i i y. Those elemen s can be seen
as unc ional alues, ye , as we ha e seen, hey a e also behind aes he ic decisions. I bo h
spaces sha e an o ien a ion owa d collec i e p axis, hey seem o be p one o pu sue
opposing pa hs in e ms o hei unde s anding o a is ic p ac ice. Whe eas Be aLocal
aims o a de egula ion and de-specializa ion o cul u al in e ac ion and c ea i i y, L’A o-
ca pe has become a ‘he ald o he con empo a y’. In any case, we ha e seen how some o
hei ac i i ies ul ima ely con e ge owa d he same sys em hey seek o challenge.
Examples o his can be ound in L’A oca pe’s u n owa d he ‘con empo a y’,ini s
linking a is ic ad ancemen and in e na ional pa icipa ion; o in Be aLocal’s inabili y o
wi hd aw om he ‘exclusi i y’o a audiences. To some ex en , he limi a ions o bo h
p ojec s a e pa icula ly eloquen o he mos limi ing ea u es o he non-au onomous cul-
u al milieu om which hey a ise. I we had o c i icize hem only o hese elemen s, hen,
we could say ha collabo a ion wo ks as an appealing ye innocuous and ole able singu-
la i y, unable o gene a e a signi ican shi om he inhe i ed non-au onomous cul u al
dynamics p esen in bo h e i o ies.
I ha e a emp ed o show ha such a alo iza ion is incomple e. The e is some hing else.
We ha e seen how bo h p ojec s c ea e and consolida e al e na i e social bonds and pla -
o ms o ac ion. These unde cu he spa ial imagina ion in play in bo h scena ios. I we con-
side he same examples om his an age poin , we can see how L’A oca pe’s s uc u e
consolida es an open public sphe e ha c iss-c osses he colonial bonds o Guadeloupe by
es ablishing connec ions wi h o he a scena ios. This sphe e is no he ‘local side-e ec ’
o he p ojec ’s in e na ional ac i i y. Ra he , bo h le els a e in e wined. Some hing simila
can be said o Be aLocal. I s in e es in ‘de-educa ing’ he o e -specialized, o e -exposed
and highly sophis ica ed Pue o Rican a is ic milieu si ua es i s sphe e o ac i i y be ween
ha o a is -managed spaces and non-p o i o ganiza ions. I is he po osi y ac oss audiences,
p og ams and spa ial le els ha uels Be aLocal’s mos inno a i e ou comes. In sum, bo h
L’A oca pe and Be aLocal ac as o ganiza ional-ye - lexible s uc u es, he eby aiming o
expose he a is ic and social s uc u es ope a ing bo h in Pue o Rico and in Guadeloupe,
and o b eak wi h he p eca iousness domina ing he a is ic scena ios in which hey
ope a e. A ising om wo e y di e en con ex s, which, ne e heless, sha e a non-au on-
omous condi ion, he wo p ojec s ha I ha e analyzed he e o e in e es ing examples o col-
labo a i e agency and i s abili y o igge an al e na i e social imagina ion. They a e ueling
angible ans o ma ions ha ouch upon o ganiza ional and s uc u al condi ions o a is ic
p ac ice, while also elying on collec i e, local agency as a d i ing o ce o change.
No es
1. Those issues ha e cen e ed he a c i icism om and abou he egion in he las decades. See
Poupeye (1998), S ephens (2013), Thompson (2006) and Wainw igh (2011). I ha e engaged
his deba e in Ga ido Cas ellano (2014,in p ess). Al hough hose insigh s ha e been c ucial
in o de o dismoun inhe i ed isual and cogni i e appa a uses o mis ep esen a ion and
commodi iza ion o he Ca ibbean egion, making emphasis in he mul iple ways in which Ca -
ibbean c ea o s ha e s i en o de ine and asse coun e - ep esen a ion, less a en ion has
been paid a o ganiza ional and in as uc u al p ac ices. Because o ha , wi hou o ge ing
he deba es on Ca ibbean a , I will y o del e in o hose p ac ices mo e in de ail h ough
long- e m, p ac ice-based, collec i e a is ic ini ia i es.
18 C. GARRIDO CASTELLANO
2. The Ca ibbean cu en ly has 14 e i o ies ha a e poli ically linked, ye wi h di e en s a us, o
F ance, G ea B i ain, Ne he lands and he Uni ed S a es. The li e a u e on he colonial and
pos colonial p edicamen o he Ca ibbean egion is ex emely as . Whe eas his condi ion
will be cen al o my a gumen in his a icle, I will no y o de ine wha colonialism is o
how does i impac Ca ibbean cul u al p ac ices. Ins ead, I will y o e e o si ua ions in
which ha condi ion has a speci ic impac on a is ic p ac ices and ac ions.
3. The Talle Alac án will be a pi o al pla o m o social and poli ical esis ance h ough g aphic
a s in he Pue o Rican con ex o he 1960s. I also inaugu a es he omance be ween inde-
penden a cen e s and he neighbo hood o San u ce in San Juan (see Díaz-Royo, 2008; He -
mandad de A is as G á icos de Pue o Rico (ed.), 1998).
4. CCA7 was a P ince Klaus Awa ded p ojec c ea ed in 1997 by Cha lo e Elias, which included
he collabo a ion o Ch is ophe Cozie , Pe e Doig and Ch is O ili. Alice Ya d, di ec ed by
Cozie , Sean Michaels and Nicholas Laughlin, was c ea ed in 2006 as a collabo a i e space
loca ed in down own Po o Spain. I con inues o be one o he mos highly es eemed
a is -managed p ojec s in he en i e Ca ibbean. Gal anize, o ganized by Ma io Lewis and
S e e Oudi , was mo e exhibi ion-o ien ed and had a sho e li e.
5. C ea ed in 2011, F esh Milk o e s a pla o m o c i ical and c ea i e dialogue, an a is ic
esidency and a con ac poin be ween con empo a y a and he local popula ion o
Ba bados.
6. LASA (Labo a o io A ís ico de San Agus ín) is an a space loca ed a he pe iphe y o Ha ana,
ocusing on nu u ing a e i o y adi ionally isola ed om he cul u al e e escence o he
Cuban capi al. Espacio Aglu inado was he i s p i a e a space in Ha ana, ounded in he
1990s by Sand a Ceballos and Ezequiel Suá ez. The Cá ed a de A e y Conduc a was Tania B u-
gue a’s pedagogic p ojec de eloped be ween 2002 and 2009. Finally, DUPP (Desde una P ag-
má ica Pedagógica) is a public in e en ion collec i e o ganized also in he 2000s by he
Cuban a is and eache René F ancisco Rod íguez (see Weiss, 2011).
7. C ea ed in 2006 by Ti zo Ma ha, in he space o a psychia ic ins i u ion, he IBB encou ages
collabo a ion wi h local communi ies in Cu ação, including he clinic pa ien s. I also o e s a
esidency and an educa ional p og am.
8. San iago Muñoz has de eloped a s ong body o ilmic wo k dealing wi h he legacy o colo-
niali y in he island and explo ing he genealogies o Pue o Rican and Ame ican ana chis and
adical imagina ies. Fo an exhaus i e iew o he wo k, see Ga ido Cas ellano (2016). On his
behal , ‘Tony’C uz has ocused on he ela ion be ween in o ma ional and spa ial de ices and
powe . The ocus o his a icle on he collec i e dynamics de eloped a ound Be aLocal does
no imply any dep ecia ion o i s ounde s’ca ee s as solo a is .
9. This, howe e , does no always occu , a leas no in he same e ms. In ou con e sa ions in
San Juan in 2012, bo h San iago Muñoz and Tony C uz no ed how La P ác ica ended up p o-
ducing a a oo indi idual, ‘ heo y-based’expe ience, while only aguely gene a ing he
coope a i e esul s i expec ed o achie e.
10. See h p:// hepublicschool.o g/.
11. Email con e sa ion wi h José ‘Tony’C uz, Bea iz San iago and Pablo Gua diola, Ma ch 2015.
All h ee ag ee ha engaging egula ly wi h non-a is ic audiences is pe haps he majo chal-
lenge hey ha e aced since he c ea ion o Be aLocal.
12. We should no o ge ha he unding o ha pa icipa ion comes om an o ganiza ion
dependen on he F ench Minis y o Cul u e.
13. Especially ac i e a e he Museo de A e de Pue o Rico (MAPR) and he Museo de A e Con-
empo áneo de Pue o Rico (MACPR), bo h loca ed in San u ce. The o me de eloped a
p og am in he 2000s aimed a helping Pue o Rican a is s wi h ques ions o c ea i i y and
exhibi ion (h p://map .o g/es/museo/p oa). The la e ca ies ou si e-speci ic and collabo a-
i e wo ks, p o ides expe imen al space o wo kshops and a is s udios, and o ganizes edu-
ca ional p og ams o di e en communi ies.
14. Pe sonal in e iew wi h Bea iz San iago and José ‘Tony’C uz. San Juan, June 2012.
15. In ac , he ca ego y o ‘A d´Ou e Me ’has se ed as o ganizing idea o a se ies o exhibi-
ions ga he ing he a is ic p oduc ion o o me (and p esen ) colonial e i o ies. The
SOCIAL IDENTITIES 19
La i udes se ies, cu a ed by Regine Cuzin be ween 2002 and 2007, o OMA. Ou e-Me A Con-
empo ain (2011) a e good examples o his endency.
16. As in he cases o San iago and C uz, he a is ic wo k o Joëlle Fe ly also esponds di ec ly o
hose issues. In 2009, Fe ly was asked o con ibu e o a collec i e exhibi ion held a he Foun-
da ion Clémen . The Fonda ion is he majo a space in he F ancophone Ca ibbean, a as
exhibi ional space loca ed in Ma inique, in he space o a o me plan a ion. In o de o con-
ibu e o he exhibi ion, Fe ly decla ed he sel on s ike and s a ed se ing he ca e ing o he
audience o he Fonda ion, widely segmen ed in e ms o class and ace. The ac ion ook place
in he con ex o he gene al s ike ha mobilized he F ancophone An illes in 2009 in demand
o be e sala ies o low-income wo ke s and a dec ease o he cos o basic commodi ies, and
summa izes well Fe ly’s in e es in engaging c i ically wi h issues o he local con ex .
17. h p://www.a oca pe.ne /A o-Mission-S a emen _ 14.h ml.
18. Raunig and Ray (2009, p. 20) e e o hese measu es as ‘Ins i uen P ac ice’. Fo hem, he
concep o ‘ins i uen p ac ices’ma ks he si e o a p oduc i e ension be ween a new a icu-
la ion o c i ique and he a emp o a i e a a no ion o ‘ins i u ing’a e adi ional unde -
s andings o ins i u ions ha e begun o b eak down and mu a e.
Acknowledgemen s
The esea ch de eloped he e was p oduced o e se e al long- e m esea ch s ays in Pue o Rico
(2010, 2012, 2015), Guadeloupe (2011) and he Uni ed S a es (Lilly Lib a y, Duke Uni e si y, 2013;
NYU Bobs Lib a y, New Yo k Uni e si y, 2015). I would like o acknowledge he collabo a ion o
Joëlle Fe ly in Guadeloupe, Lau a B a o López, Bea iz San iago Muñoz, Pablo Gua diola and José
‘Tony’C uz in Pue o Rico, and G ego y Shole e in he Uni ed S a es. The images included in his
a icle a e cou esy o Joëlle Fe ly and Bea iz San iago Muñoz.
Disclosu e s a emen
No po en ial con lic o in e es was epo ed by he au ho .
Funding
This wo k was suppo ed by he Fundação pa a a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) [G an SFRH/BDP/
92492/2013].
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