Randall Webster

History 4950 Revolutionary Cuba

Book Review

Ever Faithful

The notion of loyalty to Spain among freed and enslaved Cubans of African descent is

contentions, and for good reason. The narrative Sartorius presents, no matter how refined, will always

bear and uncomfortable resemblance to the view once used by many as a post hoc justification for

slavery. Very much aware of this fact, Sartorius writes, A main goal of this work is to revisit questions

of race and loyalty without assuming effective and voluntary submission as a fact but seeing its

figuration as central to Cuban racial politics.1 In simpler terms, he will be looking at situations in

which the interests of both slave and owner line up not as a result of the specific relationship between

them, but as a result of the larger political, social, and economic environment that both resided in.

This form of broad analysis will continue to define Sartorius work as he examines the notion of loyalty

and how they interplayed with racial identity on a broader scale. Furthermore, it will help define and

support his larger argument: that loyalty as a construct was used by Spanish subjects of African decent

as a method of achieving some degree of mobility, freedom, and inclusion.

Sartorius work draws upon a wealth of sources to explore the ideological and practical

connections between notions of loyalty and race. Most importantly, he looks at the language of these

sources, giving voice to the nuances of each document and explaining how each fit with the narrative

that hes building. Most notably, he looks in depth at the language of loyalty, and how basing

arguments within that context provided and avenue for many to bypass the racially based constraints of

an otherwise rigidly hierarchical society.

1. David A. Sartorius, Ever Faithful: Race, Loyalty, and the Ends of Empire in Spanish Cuba (London:
Duke University Press, 20145).
 However, the strength of Sartorius argument comes largely from its flexibility in describing the

underlying events of such an ideologically chaotic time. Notions of racial and national identity and

ideology were changing as rapidly as practical concerns in the pre-independence environment of Cuba.

The narrative Sartorius presents is that of complexity; Cubans of African descent would, at times,

support the same goals as the slave owning elite not because of a simple paternalistic relationship, but

because a complex arrangement of ideological, practical, and personal reasons, many of which stem

from the nature in which developing Cuban and Spanish national identities dealt with race.

Sartorius narrative acts as both frame and canvas for the idiosyncratic and, in places, seemingly

inconsistent events of the Cuban Ten Years War, providing an invaluable set of tools for understanding

not just what happened, but why.

In conclusion, Sartorius gives us an invaluable tool for looking at the ideological, personal, and

piratical concerns of those loyal to the Spanish Empire. In doing so, he opens the door for a deeper

understanding of colonial politics and identity, as well as the social environment that independent Cuba

is left with. Furthermore, Sartorius narrative recontextualizes evidence once prominently used for

apologia, essentially discrediting an old and racist narrative without warring against it on a source-by-

source level. In all, this book is an essential read for those at all interersted in Cuba, past or present.

Bibliography

1: David Sartorius, Ever Faithful: Race, Loyalty, and the Ends of Empire in Spanish Cuba, 2014