Juan Bobo, postcoloniality and Frantz Fanon's theory of violence

In the postcolonial written adaptations of the oral tales and stories about Juan Bobo political violence is generated against the Jibaros by colonial, postcolonial and neocolonial discourses that are still perpetuated in Puerto Rico through unaltered colonial attitudes, political, socioeconomic structures, institutions and literatures that legitimize the negative perception of the Jibaros as the Other. After 1898, redactors of the written tales of Juan Bobo purged the tales of much of their overt anti-colonial, anti-elitist and subversive implications-the undisguised violence, lies, trickery and resistance to oppression that are so evident in the oral tales. With every subsequent version, Juan Bobo dwindles from trickster to mere tonto (“fool/noodlehead”), making Juan Bobo and the Jibaros he represents objects to laugh at or scorn. Colonial ideologies are evident and inscribed in the texts, in the fact that Juan Bobo seems to always be rescued, saved by a privileged and seemingly benevolent whiter, landowning, and more educated character. These redactions constitute a compromise and betrayal of the authentic Jibaro while deepening the split between Puerto Rico’s elite class and the rural peasantry. They play right into colonialism’s hands.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

English

Grantor dc:publisher

Colorado State University. Libraries

Year dc:date.issued

2007

Authors dc:creator

• Rodríguez, Enid Sepúlveda, author
• Taylor, Cynthia, advisor
• Sheidley, William, committee member
• Taylor, Ted, committee member

• language arts
• Caribbean literature
• minority and ethnic groups
• sociology
• ethnic studies

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.

Language dc:language.iso

eng, English

Identifier URI

https://doi.org/10.25675/3.025794

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:mountainscholar.org:10217/242937