Sovereign Acts

"By pairing archival research with the analysis of a fascinating array of theatrical and political performances, built environment, and civic recreation, Zien innovatively posits the construction of citizenship and belonging in Panama’s Canal Zone throughout the 20th century as an intricate, performative process. A must-read for anyone interested in sites of contested sovereignty."

~Camilla Stevens, author of Family and Identity in Contemporary Cuban and Puerto Rican Drama

"Examines the 'performance' of claims to the Canal Zone in popular entertainments, civic pageantry, and other realms reflecting the competing interests of Panamanians, West Indian laborers, and white U.S. citizens; covers 1903 to 1999."

~Chronicle