National and Local Identity in St. John: Danish and American Perspectives

Resumen

This paper discusses national and local identities on the island of St. John, now part of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The different notions of nationalism from the era of European intervention to the present are explored in this work. The impact of top-down nationalism versus personalized nationalism is analyzed through fieldwork carried out on the island of St. John, a former Danish colony. This case study of national and local identities on St. John suggests that nationalism is a much messier affair than clear-cut national ideologies may lead one to suspect. At the same time, it is the capacity of nationalist spectacles to generate feelings of cultural similarity that makes a national project possible. The article traces the changing affiliations and identifications of the islanders during Danish colonial rule, after emancipation, and under North American jurisdiction. The emphasis of this study is on the expression of local and national identities at work in this small Caribbean community.