And you, why are you black?: Afro-descendant discourses and identities in Spain

The aim of this article is to explore the gradual construction of Afro-descendant identities in Spain based on the cultural and artistic productions generated by the collective itself, in particular by prominent Afro-Spanish authors. Employing documentation and socio-semiotic discourse analysis, it provides a mapping of reference works and research on the subject, and it analyses as a case study the photobook And You, Why Are You Black? by Ruben H. Bermudez (2018). Acknowledging its enunciation from the margins of the public sphere, we examine the construction of meaning articulated in this verb-visual narrative, where the complex operation of narrating oneself implies a reflexive interaction between the individual and the collective. The analysis, also supported by the author's verbal discourse, is articulated through four key sections, landmarks or key moments: the emergence of negritude as a social stigma; the discovery of role models and new transnational imaginaries; the threat of racism and the limits of the idea of nation; and the encounter with the Afro-descendant community, where a militant political and identity awareness is consolidated. Thus, this research reveals the transfiguration of the subject during an initiatory journey, and it illustrates the dynamic and dialogical construction of identity.