“Muddied Waters offers new ways for thinking about regionalism, a central theme in Latin American history, and contributes to studies that highlight the cultural dynamics of frontier expansion, particularly to a critical reassessment of Antioqueño colonization that focuses on culture, differentiation, and inequality. Appelbaum achieves a study of Antioqueño colonization that integrates analysis of discursive fields with political economy.” — León Arredondo , American Anthropologist
"Muddied Waters disentangles [the] convoluted intertwining racial, regional, and national narrative as it is reflected in the historical development of Riosucio, Colombia. . . ."
— Carlos Pérez, Canadian Journal of History
"Muddied Waters is an important English language contribution to the history of republican Colombia and will be of interest for upper-level undergraduate courses, as well as for scholars interested in any of the topics mentioned." — Joshua Rosenthal , History: Reviews of New Books
"[A]n empirically rich and theoretically provocative look at the historical processes by which race and place have become intertwined." — Jason Paiement , Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology
"[A]n invaluable resource for understanding the extremely complex and contested racial and regional communities of Colombia." — Julie Lirot , Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies
"[Appelbaum] does an excellent job at analyzing local and regional histories as constituent elements of the creation of local and regional identities. . . . [T]his careful study both sheds light on the interconnectedness of racial and regional identities and also enriches our understanding of one of Colombia's national myths-that of the Antioqueño colonization of the coffee zone." — Rebecca Earle, HAHR
"[F]ascinating. . . . The book will be essential reading for students and scholars of Colombia, as well as those concerned with the study of race, nation-building, indigenous communities and migration and colonization." — Nicola Foote , Bulletin of Latin American Research
"Laid out in complex, yet clear prose, Muddied Waters is an important book for students of Colombia and Latin America. It will also appeal to a wider scope of individuals interested in race, region, colonialism, nationalism, and hegemony." — W. John Green, The Journal of Interdisciplinary History
”Muddied Waters is an outstanding contribution to the history of race and colonization in modern Colombia. It invites revision of current interpretations of Colombian and Latin American regionalism.” — Marco Palacios, coauthor of Colombia: Fragmented Land, Divided Society
”The story of Riosucio illuminates the multiple and complex ways in which discourses of race, region, and nation inform each other. Muddied Waters not only gives us a new way of thinking about postcolonial Colombia, but also offers rich comparative insights into other Latin American societies where race and place have become historically intertwined.” — Barbara Weinstein, author of For Social Peace in Brazil: Industrialists and the Remaking of the Working Class in São Paulo, 1920-