Cultural Identity in the Colombian Caribbean. The Case of the Carnival of Barranquilla

Abstract

This article studies the cultural manifestations of the Barranquilla Carnival in order to abstract key elements in the configuration of the imaginary of the “cultural identity” of the region. It is not intended to be a reference in terms of definition of identities, but it does try to expose a point of view that serves for social construction. It is a bibliographic inquiry that performs a review of terms such as cultural identity or “Barranquilla’s Carnival”. The purpose is to share these findings with people interested in this topic. As part of the conclusions, we find that the Colombian Ca- ribbean, makes possible the recognition of the individuals who compose its society, valuing their expressions. At the same time, the above mentioned particularities contribute to the construc- tion of community. In this way, its inhabitants, recreate and complement each other, creating a way of living together. In summary, it is the identity of the inhabitants of the Colombian Ca- ribbean. Cultural events such the carnival, have become social property and has different langua- ges, behaviors and knowledge that configure the values and promote a specific social identifica- tion processes in this region.