Identity Conflict in Puerto Rico: Remaining a Commonwealth, Promoting Statehood or Becoming an Independent Country

Abstract

This dissertation is concerned with the dimensions of Puerto Rico's political status, which presents some exceptional challenges. The study depicts a detailed historical, cultural and political portrait of the island's inhabitants who are partly Taino Indians, partly Spanish and partly African Americans. It also gives an overview of Puerto Rico's exceptional relationship with the United States, ponders the meaning of Puerto Rican identity, and describes various aspects of Puerto Rico's cultural dilemma. In addition, the study examines the political peculiarity of the island, an unincorporated territory of the United States and officially known as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. In this logic, the focus is essent ially on the reasons that have split Puerto Ricans between three options for the political status of the island: a sustained Commomwealth, a state or full integration with the United States or total independence. This study concludes that Puerto Rico's political status Is a real quandary Puerto Ricans have not enjoyed lotal freedom wthin the American system for ore than a century. During that era, they, in fact, lived between colonization and self-determinat ion For Puerto Ricans, the sland is an Amercan community, while for American policymakers, Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the Unted States Therefore, if the cultural conflict on the island persats and as long as the status of the Commmwealth continues, it will be more difficult to reach a detinaive solution