Developing politics in Quisqueya Heights: Local and national trajectories of Dominican -American organizing.
Item
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Title
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Developing politics in Quisqueya Heights: Local and national trajectories of Dominican -American organizing.
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Identifier
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AAI3115226
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identifier
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3115226
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Creator
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Aparicio, Ana Lucia.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Leith P. Mullings
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Date
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2004
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Anthropology, Cultural | Sociology, Ethnic and Racial Studies | American Studies
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Abstract
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Today's immigrants and their children work to create networks---in personal and institutional settings---and construct local politics that extend beyond strict boundaries of race, ethnicity, and nation. Contemporary immigrant groups in the United States are altering local politics and transforming the communities and cities in which they live. This dissertation examines the ways in which Dominican-Americans living in Washington Heights participate in local politics. Central to this study is the exploration of the extent to which Dominican-American community building and politics involves second-generation Dominicans as well as other ethnic/racial groups.;The character of Dominican-American community organizing has changed since the first wave of Dominican immigrants arrived in New York in the 1960s. Through the generations, local organizers have altered the geo-political focus of their efforts. That is, they have moved from sole emphasis on "homeland politics," or the transnational sphere, to include organizing to confront locally produced issues in the city of New York. In New York, in efforts to build their power, they have expanded their organizational efforts to include other people of color, namely Puerto Ricans and African-Americans. Using data gathered through life histories, interviews, participant observation, and archival research, I argue that for the Dominican community in Washington Heights a number of factors converged in the 1980s and 1990s, allowing Dominicans to establish a foothold in local politics. First, community organizers retreated from exclusive concentration on "home politics." Following this development, Dominican organizers began to focus on establishing organizations to take on local issues. In this processes they reached out to Puerto Rican and African American activists and established leadership in New York. And, finally, a new generation of Dominican-Americans, raised and educated in public institutions in New York City came of age and solidified the new direction of Dominican-American organizing.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
