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Meridional. Chilean Journal of Latin American Studies is pleased to invite you to participate in the dossier “Relevance of Latin American Marxism: Thinking from, with, and beyond Michael Löwy’s work”, which consists in our 21st volume, to be published in October 2023. 

Concepts, imaginaries and metaphors in Panama: between the enclave and Panamanian national metaphors

Authors

Abstract

The enclave, as part of the cultural and academic imaginary of Panama, corresponds to the development of a concept that, starting in the 70s, is positioned by the history of the country, determined by the so-called “transitista” function that, since the colonial era, marks its history. The so-called Transit Zone, which implies the Canal Zone, involved with the construction of the Canal (1904-1914), the immigration of hundreds of thousands of Caribbean workers that promoted the construction of cultural and foundational concepts that crossed the entire field of representation. Through a comparative and hermeneutic method, literary and cultural history will be made of the formation of conceptual enclaves to finally understand how one can then go or reflect beyond the enclave.

Keywords:

enclave, transitism, long-term, Caribbean, imaginary