The Puerto Rican Nation on the Move: Identities on the Island and in the United States [Paperback]

Jorge Duany (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0807853720 | ISBN-13: 978-0807853726 | Publication Date: December 8, 2001

Puerto Ricans maintain a vibrant identity that bridges two very different places--the island of Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland. Whether they live on the island, in the States, or divide time between the two, most imagine Puerto Rico as a separate nation and view themselves primarily as Puerto Rican. At the same time, Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since 1917, and Puerto Rico has been a U.S. commonwealth since 1952.

Jorge Duany uses previously untapped primary sources to bring new insights to questions of Puerto Rican identity, nationalism, and migration. Drawing a distinction between political and cultural nationalism, Duany argues that the Puerto Rican "nation" must be understood as a new kind of translocal entity with deep cultural continuities. He documents a strong sharing of culture between island and mainland, with diasporic communities tightly linked to island life by a steady circular migration. Duany explores the Puerto Rican sense of nationhood by looking at cultural representations produced by Puerto Ricans and considering how others--American anthropologists, photographers, and museum curators, for example--have represented the nation. His sources of information include ethnographic fieldwork, archival research, interviews, surveys, censuses, newspaper articles, personal documents, and literary texts.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An intelligent theoretical comprehension."
— IBEROAMERICANA/NOTAS

"This wide-ranging exploration of Puerto Rican identity, past and present, is as notable for the breadth and originality of Duany's research as for his impressive ability to present complex interpretations in a clear and accessible way. (Nancy Morris, author of Puerto Rico: Culture, Politics, and Identity)"

About the Author

Jorge Duany is professor of anthropology at the University of Puerto Rico in RÆo Piedras and coauthor of Cubans in Puerto Rico: Ethnic Economy and Cultural Identity. He has held teaching and research appointments in the United States, most recently as a visiting professor at the University of Michigan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press (December 8, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807853720
• ISBN-13: 978-0807853726
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #553,593 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding the Algebra of PUERTO RICAN POLITICS, April 20, 2010

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This review is from: The Puerto Rican Nation on the Move: Identities on the Island and in the United States (Paperback)

This is one of the best books ever written on Puerto rican politics and nationalism. It will help one understand the passion and fury behind a people whom have suffered tremendously over identity and politics. Nevertheless,they have remained loyal to a nation without a state. unwilling to compromise centuries old traditions, the people of Borienquen redifined NATIONHOOD. The Once rebel flag, can be spotted anywhere in the World conjuring up emotions of patriotisim. Johnny Rivera