“The Devil behind the Mirror: Globalization and Politics in the Dominican Republic” by Stephen Gregory tackles significant, controversial and direct issues. He starts the discussion by establishing the context, the ambiance and environment his at. The people around him also framed the situation of the place – especially Minaya with his Family and the tall lean man who approached the author named Alberto.
Alberto whom ended up being a tour guide due to his misfortunes, showed the alarming state of globalization, consumerism and the rich getting richer. He states that ‘the government we have now, they make many projects and spend money but it’s not for the people. It’s for the rich, only for the rich,’ with the emphasis of ‘only for the rich.’ (Gregory 3).
It was also through Alberto that the title developed. Referring to the tactics of consumerism, its effects and the materials/infrastructures he says, “It does nothing for the country. It’s only a mirror. And the devil is on the other side” (Gregory 3). This metaphor inspired further attention to the topic.
“This book turns attention to the nightmare face of globalization seldom addressed in the
scholarly literature: to the lives, livelihoods, and struggles of people unable to move and
‘fixed’ in space by economic hardship and by spatial practices restricting movement,
citizenship rights and access to living wage.” (qtd. in Gregory 6)
He also presents an authentic andconvincingstand on the impact of transnational developmentsrelated with globalization, opening the discussion about livelihoods of people in the Dominican Republic, the culture, politics and economy.
Gregory also portrays discrimination by indicating conditions reiterating experiences by some of his workers, “The value and qualities of their labor were politically constructed through the iteration of social distinctions (among them, race, gender, sexuality and citizenship) and by means of variety of practices in which state authorities played critical, although not exclusive roles” (Gregory 19).
Throughout the Introduction and Chapter One he paints a picture of further areas explored;innovatively and stunninglycomposed, The Devil behind the Mirror masterfully places the scrutiny of global economic change, its phase and its effects daily.
Works Cited
Gregory, Steven. The Devil behind the Mirror: Globalization and Politics in the Dominican
Republic. University of California Press, 2006. Print.
