D\u27NOS MANERA - Gender, Collective Identity and Leadership in the Cape Verdean Community in the United States

This study examines the role of gender relations in modern diaspora communities by presenting Cape Verdeans in the United States as an understudied case within African diasporic experiences. Cape Verdean communities and their organizations have existed in the United States since the 1800s. The levels of intensity with which these organizations operate have shifted over time based on the realities of the host country and the homeland. As a labor diaspora, it will take the Cape Verdean community in the US several generations to shift from labor to skilled diaspora. This study argues that three factors impact the progress of the Cape Verdean community in the United States: 1) challenges of community building; 2) collective identity and the complexities of ethnicity; and 3) women\u27s agency and leadership. This analysis incorporates the importance of gender relations into the complexities of immigrant community building and highlights Cape Verdean women as key actors in the advancement of their communities. It emphasizes that maximizing the potential of the Cape Verdean woman and her agency can lead to increased community cohesion and progress