Abstract
This article, based on interviews, examines the identity negotiations enacted by Puerto Ricans of multiple Latin American nationalities in Chicago. How is Puerto Ricanness reaffirmed, undermined and reimagined by these Puerto Ricans who are not considered “fully Boricuas”? How do they reclaim and perform traces of their puertorriqueñidad in ways that make sense to them and that allow them to reaffirm their Latinidad simultaneously? Struggling to belong within the horizontal hierarchies of Latino Chicago, that is, in the power differentials and relational dynamics among different Latino nationalities, these Puerto Rican Intralatino/as perform their puertorriqueñidad through biological/ phenotypical discourses, by reflecting on skin color and on the racialization of the Puerto Rican identity, and by celebrating the domestic transnationalism with Mexican Chicago. The essay reaffirms the processes of restructuring and reclaiming Puerto Ricanness in light of the decrease in Puerto Rican demographics in Chicago.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 154-179 |
| Number of pages | 26 |
| Journal | Centro Journal |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - 2016 |
Keywords
- Chicago
- Identity
- Intermarriage
- Latinos
- MexiRicans
- Puerto Ricans
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Arts and Humanities(all)
- Social Sciences(all)