Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Although very few Puerto Ricans and African-Americans support political nationalism or sovereignty when respectively expressed as the independence of Puerto Rico or the founding of a “separate black nation,” cultural nationalism enjoys vibrant and widespread support between both groups. Puerto Rican and African-American cultural nationalism are similar in that both view the autonomous preservation of perceived symbolic, linguistic, historic, and artifactual ties to their “homelands” as a means to maintain the distinct identity of their respective nations within the US nation. Thus adherents are less likely to feel closeness to America. In addition, cultural nationalism leads both groups to similar political conclusions regarding group political empowerment, group economic redistribution, and the persistence of racial/ethnic discrimination. However, as a testament to the different valences that race and class exert upon Puerto Rican versus African-American identity, class variables are more likely to explain Puerto Rican support for cultural nationalism and racial variables are more likely to explain African-American support for cultural nationalism. Along with constituency differences, these two forms of cultural autonomy may differently encourage these groups to form alignments with other racial minorities. Using data from the 1989-90 Latino National Political Survey and the 1993-94 National Black Politics Study, we examine and test the above assertions and discuss the current implications this work holds for understanding how beliefs about cultural autonomy affect American racial and ethnic politics.