As in so much of the world, normative and hegemonic concepts of what constitutes a national identity in Costa Rica have long been white supremacist, patriarchal, and heteronormative. In this particular case, the patriotic pride in the nation's mythical beginnings and the all-consuming fervour to mark the country out as exceptional, especially in comparison with its neighbours, have been brought together in the term tico. The tico is exclusionary and exclusive, putting the motherland above all else, and it also engenders harmful falsehoods. In this book I have argued that the colonial lens through which many modern nations continue to view the world and themselves has permeated Costa Rica, causing a divide between those included in the imagined community of the citizenry and those internal ‘Others’ who exist but are not welcomed as a real or valued part of the nation. The case studies under scrutiny prove the coexistence of these hegemonic ideals and their counternarratives in the same national space, thus demonstrating the fallacy of the aforementioned fixed idea of a national identity. In the ever more globalized world of the twenty-first century, the rise of new technology, new media, and global trade has led to a steady breaking down of boundaries – both within nations and the national borders themselves – and as such the very concept of rigid identities continues to be reinforced by those who oppose this trend while also being challenged by others.

Within Costa Rica, it is soft power which has been used to question these normative behaviours which privilege certain groups over others rather than violent or coercive means – perhaps in part due to the foundation of one of its core national values of peace. An analysis of the sociological revolution of the 1970s demonstrates that literature was used as a device for change and subversion, with ethnic, gendered, and sexual identity politics becoming the foundations for this type of protest. Using critiques of the ways in which norms are interpellated, internalized, mimicked, and then outwardly performed, these authors have colluded in exposing the very fabric of the nation as based on myths and legends which continue to do harm over a century after their conception.