The Ends of Paradise: Race, Extraction, and the Struggle for Black Life in Honduras

The Ends of Paradise explores the Garifuna struggle for life and collective autonomy, challenging state and multilateral institutions' efforts to render their lands and culture into fungible tourism products. It reveals how inclusive tourism projects form part of a larger neoliberal, extractivist development regime, displacing Black and Indigenous territories.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 24 October 2022
Publisher: Stanford University Press

The future of Honduras is intricately tied to the pristine white sand beaches of Tela Bay, located on the northeastern coast of the country. For over two centuries, the Garifuna, a Black Indigenous people, have called this place home. In his book, The Ends of Paradise, Christopher A. Loperena delves into the profound struggle of the Garifuna for survival and collective self-determination. Loperena's research uncovers how this struggle challenges the concerted efforts of the state and international institutions, such as the World Bank, to commodify their lands and culture as interchangeable tourism products. Through a combination of participant observation, courtroom ethnography, and archival research, Loperena unveils how purportedly inclusive tourism projects are actually part of a larger neoliberal, extractivist development regime that transforms Black and Indigenous territories into frontiers of progress for the mestizo majority.

The book offers a scathing analysis of how Black dispossession and displacement are perpetuated through the granting of individual rights and freedoms, a prerequisite for resource exploitation under contemporary capitalism. By asserting their right to be recognized on their terms, the Garifuna firmly anchor Blackness to Central America, a region where Black peoples are often perceived as nonnative inhabitants. They also advocate for collective land rights, drawing attention to the historical injustices and ongoing struggles faced by Indigenous communities across the region.

Loperena's deep-rooted involvement in the activism of Garifuna land defenders shines through in his book. It serves as a testament to the Garifuna's resilience and unwavering commitment to their ancestral lands. The Ends of Paradise offers a glimpse into the possibility of a different world, one in which Black and Indigenous peoples can thrive and exercise their full autonomy. It is a call to action for all who seek to dismantle the systems of oppression and inequality that have perpetuated centuries of harm.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781503634008