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The Unwritten Faces of a Nation: Ancestry, Colorism, and Dominican Identity

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First Reader Hakan Topal
 Senior Project
 Semester Spring 2025
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Topal, Hakan
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Spring 2025
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2025
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9957_Arlenis_Andujar.pdf
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http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12648/16883
Abstract
This thesis explores the complex relationship between ancestry, identity, and representation in the Dominican Republic. Drawing from historical, cultural, and genetic perspectives, it traces the nation's roots through its Taíno, African, and European lineages, revealing how centuries of colonization, resistance, and migration have shaped the physical and cultural makeup of the Dominican people. Despite this rich diversity, Dominican society continues to grapple with the lingering effects of colonial racial hierarchies, particularly in the form of colorism and microaggressions. These social dynamics affect how Dominicans perceive themselves and each other, often privileging whiteness and denying Afro-Dominican identity. The paper also examines La Muñeca Sin Rostro, the faceless doll crafted in the Dominican Republic, as a cultural symbol that both reflects and challenges these realities. Her facelessness becomes a metaphor for collective identity, erasure, and the complexities of representation in a society still negotiating the meaning of race, belonging, and heritage. Through this interdisciplinary analysis, the thesis aims to unpack the visual and historical layers of Dominican identity and reclaim the power in its diversity.
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