Researcher ORCID Identifier

0009-0006-0055-8540

Graduation Year

2024

Date of Submission

4-2024

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

International Relations

Second Department

History

Reader 1

Jessica Zarkin

Reader 2

Lisa Cody

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2024 Laura E Somoza Vélez

Abstract

How do identity and citizenship interact? Puerto Rico’s current political status is that of an unincorporated, organized territory of the United States, under the shiny title of ‘Commonwealth.’ Although they have US Citizenship, Puerto Rican residents aren’t protected by the US Constitution. This source of dual identification, American and Puerto Rican, creates a unique circumstance where questions of identity, and belonging naturally arise. In this thesis, I aim to answer how the citizenship condition created in Puerto Rico and how it is experienced measure up to current debates and scholarship surrounding citizenship. Achieved through a historical analysis of the formation of Citizenship in Puerto Rico and by a series of conducted interviews with Puerto Ricans, I characterize citizenship within the island as fractured, politicized, geographically conditional, producing orgullo, and rooted in rights as privileges. Led by the research question, how does the Puerto Rican experience challenge the dominant ideas of citizenship, I come to the conclusion that citizenship isn’t generalizable; with Puerto Rico showcasing how citizenship can also be non-linear, contested, blurred, territorially bounded, externally influenced, and characterized by orgullo.

Download

Share

COinS