Ethnic nicknaming: ‘negro’ as a term of endearment and vicarious blackness in Argentina

ADAMOVSKY, EZEQUIEL

Latin American and Caribbean Ethnic Studies

Routledge

Año: 2017 vol. 12 p. 273 - 289

1744-2222

In Argentine colloquial language, calling someone ?negro/a? mayhave two opposite connotations. It can be derogatory and racist,but in other contexts, it can be used as a term of endearment. It isalso customary to nickname someone ?el negro/la negra [+ name]?,with no offense intended or taken. These usages are unrelated toactual skin colors; both white and dark skinned people may beaffectionately called ?negro?. This article analyses the origins andmeanings of such a habit, by relating it to other forms of vicariousblackness and to the specificities of the vernacular racial formations.In turn, the malleability and instability of the negro allusionis explained as a sign of the country?s disjointed process of ethnogenesis.The last section explores possible implications of theArgentine case for debates on hybridity, nation formation andmixed race studies.