From Bomba To Hip-Hop : Puerto Rican Culture and Latino Identity

Neither immigrants nor ethnics, neither foreign nor "hyphenated Americans" in the usual sense of that term, Puerto Ricans in New York have created a distinct identity both on the island of Puerto Rico and in the cultural landscape of the United States. Juan Flores considers the uniqueness of Puerto Rican culture and identity in relation to that of other Latino groups in the United States -- as well as to other minority groups, especially African Americans. Architecture and urban space, literary traditions, musical styles, and cultural movements provide some of the sites and moments of a cultural world defined by the interplay of continuity and transformation, heritage and innovation, roots and fusion. Exploring this wide range of cultural expression -- both in the diaspora and in Puerto Rico -- Flores highlights the rich complexities and fertile contradictions of Latino identity. Columbia University Press "Essential reading for understanding both national and panethnic issues that influence cultural expression and the construction of Puerto Rican identity in the US. Analyzes distinctiveness of Puerto Rican culture in New York in relation to that of other US Latino groups. Theoretically grounded essays address many of the contradictions behind the complex process of identity construction among Puerto Ricans and other Latinos. Focuses on popular music and literature"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58. Prelude 10 Introduction 14 1 “pueblo pueblo”: Popular Culture in Time 23 2 The Lite Colonial: Diversions of Puerto Rican Discourse 36 3 Broken English Memories: Languages in the Trans-Colony 53 4 “Salvación Casita”: Space, Performance, and Community 66 5 “Cha-Cha with a Backbeat”: Songs and Stories of Latin Boogaloo 81 6 Puerto Rocks: Rap, Roots, and Amnesia 115 7 Pan-Latino/Trans-Latino: Puerto Ricans in the “New Nueva York” 140 8 Life Off the Hyphen: Latino Literature and Nuyorican Traditions 165 9 The Latino Imaginary: Meanings of Community and Identity 187 10 Latino Studies: New Contexts, New Concepts 200 Postscript: “None of the Above” 214 Notes 222 Selected Bibliography 242 Acknowledgments and Permissions 246 Index 248 pueblo pueblo Popular Culture in Time..............17 The Lite Colonial Diversions of Puerto Rican Discourse..............31 Broken English Memories Languages in the TransColony..............49 Salvacion Casita Space Performance and Community..............63 ChaCha with a Backbeat Songs and Stories of Latin Boogaloo..............79 Puerto Rocks Rap Roots and Amnesia..............115 PanLatinoTransLatino Puerto Ricans in the New Nueva York..............141 Life Off the Hyphen Latino Literature and Nuyoyican Traditions..............167 As the populations of Latin American and Caribbean background in the USA proliferate, it becomes all the more important to understand the distinctions among nationalities and regional groups. To this end, this text investigates the historical experience of Puerto Ricans in New York.