National identity under challenge: Puerto Rico in the twentieth century

This dissertation explores the formation and maintenance of national identity through a case study of Puerto Rico. The study begins with an overview of Puerto Rican history focused on United States efforts to Americanize the island after taking it over from Spain in 1898. This historical section is based on primary and secondary archival sources. The second part of the study presents an examination of the ways Puerto Rican identity is perceived across different island political groups today. This section is based on interviews with fourteen Puerto Rican politicians of all parties and eleven focus groups with members of political party youth organizations. The investigation found that while United States pressure on Puerto Rico has affected many aspects of island social and institutional life, the symbols of Puerto Rican identity have not given way to United States replacements. In the early years, Puerto Ricanness was defended most notably through resistance to the English language, and assertive display of the Puerto Rican flag. Control of these key symbols was both a cause and an expression of political conflict. In the latter part of this century, international sports participation became an added symbolic manifestation for Puerto Rico. In contemporary Puerto Rico, interview and focus group data showed that members of island political elites shared a sense of being Puerto Ricans whether they favored statehood, independence, or continued commonwealth status for the island. Identification with Puerto Rico was expressed through allegiance to the Spanish language and island traditions. Respondents differed on the importance they attached to key symbols, and on their degree of personal identification with the Caribbean region, Latin America, and the United States. Conclusions of the study that may be applicable beyond Puerto Rico are that the core identity message is that the group is unique and worthy of preservation; that this message is commonly expressed through symbols; that prominent among the many symbols involved in modem national identity are language, flag, and Olympic team; and that symbols of identity may change over time and may be differently perceived across social groups