Puerto Rican Nation on the Move: Identities on the island and in the united states - Book Report/Review Example

The second is the impact of a back and forth migration of the Puerto Rican people on their identity, culture and technology. The writer uses never before used primary sources on the ground to bring to light new insights to issues on Puerto Rican identity. The question of nationalism is foremost in his work and according to his work a matter of great importance to all Puerto Ricans. He goes to great lengths to address the definition of national identity from a concrete and ideological standpoint quoting many authorities on the subject.

This he does to show the two different positions for there are those that view nationhood as an ideological concept first, before it can be translated into concrete boundaries in the form of a country and those who are of the opposite view. According to writer, the situation of the Puerto Rican is unique because they are first and, foremost a stateless nation due to the fact that they are not legally a state that, is part of the United States. However, the Puerto Ricans have United States citizenship and are largely considered as a part of the country by the government.

This has led to tensions between the government especially due to the presence of military training camps and facilities in Puerto Rico. The writer draws a clear distinction between the political and cultural sense of nationalism in Puerto Rico. He goes further to argue that the Puerto Rican people are a nation that is distinct and unique form the rest of the mainland country of the United States. He however admits that these same people are not willing to give up the status of American citizenship because it affords them freedom of travel into the mainland and other benefits form the government, which they would have to give up if they chose to separate and become a nation.

He argues that the islands of Puerto Rico needs to be understood” as a new kind of translocal entity” with deep” cultural