Luis Alexis Rodríguez Cruz, PhD

You can read the full article here. This piece was published in a special issue of the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development titled Indigineous Food Sovereingty in North America. Vol 9 NO B (2019). I acknowledge Vanessa García Polanco for being a great mentor and inviting me to contribute this piece she conceptualized.

Abstract: We wonder if food and agriculture will be an emer­gent theme in reclaiming the Taíno identity, the Indigenous people of the Caribbean. As we con­sider the emergent movement to decolonize our diets and utilize food as medicine alongside veganism and vegetarianism trends, we wonder how and if food, foodways, and agriculture are or will be tools to decolonize and reclaim the Taíno identity. In this paper, we will explore two perspectives on the possible opportunities and challenges of such movements and how they will look in the Caribbean and its diaspora.

Picture: El Yunque Rainforest in Puerto Rico was considered a sacred place by the Taíno people. The photo was taken by Luis Alexis Rodríguez Cruz (2017)