Yu di Kòrsou, a matter of negotiation: An anthropological exploration of the identity work of Afro-Curaçaons

Abstract

The identity marker Yu di Kòrsou, literally meaning child of Curaçao in Papiamentu language, has become a matter of contention on the Dutch Caribbean island Curacao. Commentators claim that the term is being used by Afro-Curaçaon oldcomers to exclude both other oldcomers who aren’t visibly of African descent and newcomers who in the course of the twentieth century have come from different parts of the world and can trace their heritage worldwide. This vision has become part of the hegemonic academic thought. In our chapter, we claim that this reification is actually just one of the manifold interpretations of Curaçaon life and we will present a more nuanced reading of how the Yu di Kòrsou notion is understood and used in practice among Afro-Curaçaons. Consequently, we juxtaposed an analysis of the unfolding public discourse on Yu di Kòrsou to one that is focused on everyday practices.