City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 6-2017 Becoming Ghosts: The Public Veiling of Puerto Ricans in New York City Samantha Pina Saghera The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/2085 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] Becoming Ghosts: The Public Veiling of Puerto Ricans in New York City By Samantha Pina Saghera A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Sociology as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2017 © 2017 SAMANTHA PINA SAGHERA All Rights Reserved ii Becoming Ghosts: The Public Veiling of Puerto Ricans in New York City by Samantha Pina Saghera This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Sociology in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Date Vilna Bashi Treitler Chair of Examining Committee Date Philip Kasinitz Executive Officer Supervisory Committee: Richard Alba Philip Kasinitz THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii ABSTRACT Becoming Ghosts: The Public Veiling of Puerto Ricans in New York City By Samantha Pina Saghera Advisor: Dr. Vilna Bashi Treitler In recent years Puerto Ricans in New York City have become difficult to locate in the public realm. This is a paradox given that Puerto Ricans make up the largest Hispanic subgroup in the larger metropolitan region. This study examines how, when, and why Puerto Ricans became publicly invisible in New York City. Through content analysis of archival newspapers, interviews with local politicians’ offices and local residents, analysis of demographic data, and ethnographic fieldwork in historically Puerto Rican neighborhoods in the 2012-2013 academic year, I examine the impact of changes in local demography, media, politics, and culture on the public identity of Puerto Ricans in New York City. With respect to demography, the Puerto Rican has become increasingly dispersed throughout the region, as well as increasingly dispersed among other Latinos. The result is that Puerto Rican concentration has lessened in historically Puerto Rican neighborhoods, contributing to declining visibility. What has not changed, however, is the high poverty rate, the low labor force participation, the low median income, and the low levels of educational attainment that many local Puerto Ricans continue to face. In the media, local news reports about Puerto Ricans have dwindled, and in their place, news reports about Hispanics have flourished. This phenomenon is present in both the English iv language and Spanish language news. The New York Times and El Diario La Prensa have both shifted their lenses away from local Puerto Ricans, a shift that began in earnest in the 1970s. As one of the primary means of public visibility, local media has also contributed to Puerto Rican public invisibility. In the political realm, Puerto Ricans make up the majority of local Hispanic politicians, and tend to focus on issues that Puerto Ricans do not face. For example, many Puerto Rican politicians are quite passionate about policies related to Hispanic immigration, a process that Puerto Ricans are not subject to. In contrast, the issues that Puerto Ricans face, such as high poverty rates, low labor force participation, and comparatively low median incomes amongst local Hispanics, are rarely a public topic of political discussion. This trend largely began in the 2000s. This combined with the increase in Hispanic local news coverage means that the gains made amongst Puerto Rican politicians in recent decades has been largely ignored. Both of these political developments have contributed to Puerto Rican invisibility. Lastly, Puerto Ricans have become far less visible in the cultural realm. Salsa music, as perhaps one of the most visible Puerto Rican cultural objects in the U.S., is one example of how Puerto Ricans have become culturally invisible. The musical genre was never institutionalized, music marketers have since moved on to promote more pop versions of “Latin” music, and prominent Puerto Rican artists have denied any kinds of ownership of the genre. In sum, demographic, media-based, political, and cultural changes have all contributed to the decline in Puerto Rican ethnic visibility. The consequence is that although Puerto Ricans continue to be racialized (as evidenced by their socioeconomic indicators), their racialization cannot be seen in the public realm. Instead, Hispanic characteristics are highlighted in public discourse. The subsuming of Puerto Ricans into the quasi-racial Hispanic category means that v their ethnic specificity is muted. This story of invisibility is not a story of assimilation, it is a story of racialization. vi Acknowledgements This dissertation would not have been at all possible without the support of my family. Nor would it have been possible without the support of my dissertation advisor, Dr. Vilna Bashi Treitler, or my Committee members, Dr. Richard Alba and Dr. Philip Kasinitz. Thank you all for your steadfast efforts to help me complete the project. Lastly, a heartfelt thanks goes to all of the wonderful people I had the privilege to speak with, observe, and learn from throughout my research. Only one slice of social life can be documented on the page; what is not included is no less treasured. vii Table of Contents Abstract. ........................................................................................................................................ iv Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................ vii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... ix List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ xi Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1. Invisibility: When Ethnicity Disappears..................................................................... 15 Chapter 2. Demography: Puerto Rican Stratification and Dispersion. ....................................... 31 Chapter 3. Media: The Blind Eye ............................................................................................... 66 Chapter 4. Politics I: The Evolution of Puerto Rican and Hispanic Politics 1970-2010. .......... 127 Chapter 5. Politics II: Puerto Rican Politicians with Hispanic Voices in 2013 ......................... 178 Chapter 6. Culture: The Rise and Fall of Nuyorican Culture ..................................................... 207 Conclusion: Puerto Ricans Have Disappeared ............................................................................ 232 Appendix: Large Tables ............................................................................................................. 251 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................... 281 viii List of Figures Figure 1. Mentions of Puerto Ricans, NYT 1970s ....................................................................... 76 Figure 2. Mentions of Ethnic Terms, NYT 1970s ......................................................................... 79 Figure 3. Mentions of Puerto Ricans, NYT 1980s ....................................................................... 82 Figure 4. Mentions of Ethnic Terms, NYT 1980s ......................................................................... 83 Figure 5. Mentions of Ethnic Terms, NYT 1990s ......................................................................... 87 Figure 6. Mentions of Ethnic Terms, NYT 2000s ......................................................................... 90 Figure 7. Mentions of Ethnic Terms, NYT ................................................................................... 91 Figure 8. Mentions of Ethnic Terms, NYT Part 2 ......................................................................... 93 Figure 9. Mentions of Ethnic Terms, 1970 EDLP ........................................................................ 95 Figure 10. Mentions of Homeland, 1970 EDLP ........................................................................... 99 Figure 11. Mentions of Ethnic Terms, Comparison 1970 ........................................................... .100 Figure 12. Mentions of Ethnic Terms, EDLP 1980 .................................................................... 103 Figure 13. Mentions of Ethnic Terms, Comparison 1980 ........................................................... 104 Figure 14. Mentions of Homeland Terms, Comparison 1980 .................................................... 105 Figure 15. Mentions of Ethnic Articles EDLP ............................................................................. 110 Figure 16. Mentions of Ethnic Articles EDLP, Part 2 ................................................................ 112 Figure 17. Mentions of Ethnic Articles EDLP, 1993-2000 .......................................................
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