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LITR 5731 Seminar in Multicultural Literature: American Immigrant: model assignments 2010
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research post 2
Elisabeth Scoggin
July 9, 2010
Who’s Assimilating?
Now it is time to
try to uncover the truth about Puerto Ricans and assimilation. The questions at
hand; do Puerto Ricans assimilate, or resist? Refer to objective 3e in Dr.
White’s LITR 5731. In my first post, I came to the conclusion that there has to
be some type of assimilation going on, but who are they assimilating to?
According to Derek
Green, “Puerto Rican American assimilation has been both successful and
troubled” (Hispanic American Diversity). This is due to the “lack of educational
opportunities and the collapse of the family structure”. Puerto Rico is known
for drugs, gangs, and crime. Sometimes Puerto Ricans who come to the US might
struggle and turn to such illegal activities.
From the handful
of Puerto Ricans I know, they do not assimilate well to the dominant culture.
When I asked a Puerto Rican who was born in Texas, “Are you American, or Puerto
Rican?” She responded, “I’m 100% Boricua!” meaning she’s 100% Puerto Rican
(Rodriguez). I love walking through a parking lot with my husband and him
pointing out who is Puerto Rican. I asked him how he knew, and he told me,
“Don’t you see the Puerto Rican flag hanging off the rear view mirror?” One
thing is for sure, Puerto Ricans are proud to be Puerto Ricans, even if they are
living in the mainland instead of their island. “A majority of the 4.1 million
people calling themselves Puerto Ricans were born outside of the island”
(Orlando Sentinel).
So if Puerto
Ricans do not assimilate as much with the dominant culture, who do they
assimilate with? I can tell you first hand, not Mexicans! In fact, my
mother-in–law was quite upset that her son was marrying a Mexican. If
assimilation takes place, it is definitely with other Hispanics.
One thing to note
is; generation by generation it is easier for them to assimilate. It is a total
different story when you compare a grandfather to their grandchild. There has
been quite a lot of assimilation throughout the years. Although Puerto Ricans do
not tend to assimilate well with the dominant culture, they do keep their
heritage and culture alive on the mainland.
Works Cited
Acosta-Belen, E. “Haciendo Patria Desde La Metropoli: The
Cultural Expressions of the Puerto Rican Diaspora.” 48-83. Centro de Estudios
Puertorriquenos, 2009. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 9 July 2010.
South, Scott J., Kyle Crowder, and Erick Chavez. "Geographic
Mobility and Spatial Assimilation among U.S. Latino Immigrants."
International Migration Review 39.3 (2005): 577-607. Academic Search
Complete. EBSCO. Web. 9 July 2010.
Karla Rodriguez
http://hubpages.com/hub/Hispanic-American-Diversity
http://coursesite.uhcl.edu/HSH/Whitec/LITR/5731im/default.html
