University of Pittsburgh: Department of History

Sharika Crawford

Fields:

Latin America and the Caribbean; Afro-Latin America and Comparative Slavery and Abolition

Dissertation Title:

“Under the Colombian Flag”: Race and Nation-Making in the islands of San Andrés and Providencia, 1870-1930

This dissertation examines the Colombian state’s efforts to incorporate the Caribbean islands of San Andrés and Providencia between 1870 and 1930. In this study I analyze the cultural struggles and political negotiations between the English-speaking Afro-Caribbean Protestant islanders who challenged Colombian national and local elites’ visions of a unified Catholic Hispanic nation. I contend that these negotiations have important implications for our own understanding of Colombian nation-building for that period. More broadly, this dissertation opens up research opportunities to further explore these unique dynamics found in the long-forgotten black frontier scattered along the Caribbean basin of Central and South America.

Teaching Experience:

Teaching Assistant for Professor George Reid Andrews, History of Colonial Latin America, University of Pittsburgh, January-April 2005.

Spanish-Language Instructor for Associate Professor Lara Putnam, Center for Latin American Studies, University of Pittsburgh, Assistant Professor Lara Putnam, January-December 2004.

Teaching Assistant for Associate Professor Lara Putnam, History of Modern Latin America, University of Pittsburgh, August-December 2004.

Conference Presentations:

¨Sons of the Soil: Colombianization of the islands of San Andrés and Providencia,¨XXV International Congress LASA 2004, Las Vegas, NV, October 9, 2004.

¨The Forgotten Islands: the Colombianization of San Andrés and Providencia Islands,¨ Workshop on Slavery, Emancipation, Claims-Making, and the Law, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, April 26, 2003.

¨Contested and Consolidated Identities: The Colombianization of the Archipelago of San Andrés and Providencia,¨ Mid-Atlantic Council on Latin American Studies (MACLAS), Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, February 21, 2003.

Fellowships, Awards:

Provost Development Fund Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh, 2006-07.

Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh, 2005-06.

Ford Foundation Predoctoral Diversity Fellowship, Honorable Mention, 2005.

FAS African American Summer Research Grant, University of Pittsburgh.2003-05.

UCIS International Travel Grant, University of Pittsburgh, 2005.

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS), Academic Year Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh, 2003-04.

K. Leroy Irvis Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh, 2002-03.

IIE/Fulbright Grant, Colombia, 2001-02.

Tinker Grant. Center of Latin American Studies, University of California, Los Angeles, 2002.


Sharika Crawford CV (doc) Email: shc8@pitt.edu Fields: Latin America and the Caribbean; Afro-Latin America and Comparative Slavery and Abolition Dissertation Title: “Under the Colombian Flag”: Race and Nation-Making in the islands of San Andrés and Providencia, 1870-1930 This dissertation examines the Colombian state’s efforts to incorporate the Caribbean islands of San Andrés and Providencia between 1870 and 1930. In this study I analyze the cultural struggles and political negotiations between the English-speaking Afro-Caribbean Protestant islanders who challenged Colombian national and local elites’ visions of a unified Catholic Hispanic nation. I contend that these negotiations have important implications for our own understanding of Colombian nation-building for that period. More broadly, this dissertation opens up research opportunities to further explore these unique dynamics found in the long-forgotten black frontier scattered along the Caribbean basin of Central and South America. Teaching Experience: Teaching Assistant for Professor George Reid Andrews, History of Colonial Latin America, University of Pittsburgh, January-April 2005. Spanish-Language Instructor for Associate Professor Lara Putnam, Center for Latin American Studies, University of Pittsburgh, Assistant Professor Lara Putnam, January-December 2004. Teaching Assistant for Associate Professor Lara Putnam, History of Modern Latin America, University of Pittsburgh, August-December 2004. Conference Presentations: ¨Sons of the Soil: Colombianization of the islands of San Andrés and Providencia,¨XXV International Congress LASA 2004, Las Vegas, NV, October 9, 2004. ¨The Forgotten Islands: the Colombianization of San Andrés and Providencia Islands,¨ Workshop on Slavery, Emancipation, Claims-Making, and the Law, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, April 26, 2003. ¨Contested and Consolidated Identities: The Colombianization of the Archipelago of San Andrés and Providencia,¨ Mid-Atlantic Council on Latin American Studies (MACLAS), Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, February 21, 2003. Fellowships, Awards: Provost Development Fund Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh, 2006-07. Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh, 2005-06. Ford Foundation Predoctoral Diversity Fellowship, Honorable Mention, 2005. FAS African American Summer Research Grant, University of Pittsburgh.2003-05. UCIS International Travel Grant, University of Pittsburgh, 2005. Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS), Academic Year Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh, 2003-04. K. Leroy Irvis Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh, 2002-03. IIE/Fulbright Grant, Colombia, 2001-02. Tinker Grant. Center of Latin American Studies, University of California, Los Angeles, 2002.