essay

'Que assimilated, brother, yo soy asimilao': the structuring of Puerto Rican identity

Divided borders : essays on Puerto Rican identity • Houston • Published In 1993 • Pages: 182-195, 245

By: Flores, Juan.

Abstract

This is a comparative look at two Hispanic populations, the Chicanos of Los Angeles and Puerto Ricans of New York. Chicanos and Puerto Ricans share a common Latin American culture and immigrant experience of discrimination and exploitation. However they are notably different in their relationships with African-Americans. Puerto Ricans are close to Blacks, which is not the case for Chicanos, who instead have a closer relationship with American Indians. Alarcón attributes this to the different ethnic mix between the Caribbean and Mesoamerica. Alarcón identifies four definitive moments in the awakening of mainland Puerto Rican cultural consciousness. First is the state of abandonment: The immigrant's realization of the awful conditions of life of poverty and discrimination in an urban ghetto. In the second state of enchantment, immigrants rediscover and appreciate the idyllic nature of their homeland. The third state is a renewed encounter with New York in which the indigenous culture is proudly asserted. The fourth state is the selective interaction with other minority and migrant peoples, jointly celebrating a Caribbean New York

HRAF PubDate

2002

Region

North America

Sub Region

Regional, Ethnic and Diaspora Cultures

Document Type

essay

Evaluation

Creator Type

Unknown

Analyst

Ian Skoggard ; 2000

Field Date

Not Specified

Coverage Date

1965-1985

Coverage Place

New York, N.Y., United States

Notes

Juan Flores

Includes bibliographical references

LCCN

91037313

LCSH

Puerto Ricans--United States