Full Description
This book uses historical and interview data to trace the development of Puerto Rican identity in the 20th century. It analyzes how and why Puerto Ricans have maintained a clear sense of distinctiveness in the face of direct and indirect pressures on their identity. After gaining sovereignty over Puerto Rico from Spain in 1898, the United States undertook a sustained campaign to Americanize the island. Despite 50 years of active Americanization and another 40 years of continued United States sovereignty over the island, Puerto Ricans retain a sense of themselves as distinctly and proudly Puerto Rican. This study examines the symbols of Puerto Rican identity, and their use in the complex politics of the island. It shows that identity is dynamic, it is experienced differently by individuals across Puerto Rican society, and that the key symbols of Puerto Rican identity have not remained static over time. Through the study of Puerto Rico, the book investigates and challenges the widely-heard argument that the inevitable result of the export of U.S. mass media and consumer culture throughout the world is the weakening of cultural identities in receiving societies. The book develops the idea that external pressure on collective identity may strengthen that identity rather than, as is often assumed, diminish it.
Contents
List of Maps, Tables, and Figures
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1 National Identity and Puerto Rico
Collective Identity in the Modern World
The Definitional Maze
Puerto Rico
PART I: IDENTITY IN PUERTO RICAN HISTORY
2 The Americanization Campaign, 1898-1948
Puerto Rico as a Colony of Spain
U.S. Military Occupation, October 1898-May 1900
Civilian Government
U.S. Citizenship
Expressions of Unrest
Internal Self-Government
3 Commonwealth Status, 1949-1993
Puerto Rican Constitution
Language Issues Resurface
Status Plebiscite, 1967
Agitation against the Status Quo
Plebiscite Proposal, Referendum, Plebiscite, 1989-1993
PART II: IDENTITY IN CONTEMPORARY PUERTO RICO
4 Symbols of Identity: What Is Puerto Rico?
Pride in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico as a Nation
Puerto Ricanness
Sense of Belonging
The Perception of Uniqueness
5 Self-Identity: What Am I?
Puerto Rican
North American
Caribbean
Latin American
Hispanic
Regional Identification
Nuyoricans
PART III: IDENTITY UNDER CHALLENGE
6 The Challenge to Puerto Rican Identity
Consensus: Existence of U.S. Influence
Discord: Value of U.S. Influence
Partisan Interpretations: Perceived Threat of Assimilation
Coexistence with Cultural Imports
Competition from Cultural Imports
The Fear of Displacement
The Vitality of Identity under Challenge
7 The Resilience of Identity
The Message of Uniqueness
Symbols of Identity
The Fear of Symbolic Displacement
Us versus Them: Collective Self-Awareness
Culture, Politics, and Identity
Appendix: Field Research Notes
Bibliography
Index
