Abstract Since 2006, the number of Puerto Ricans living in the US has exceeded the island's population, and migration rates have seen an upward trend in the last two decades. Puerto Rican migrants have developed a unique identity within the United States, informed by cultural and political realities such as their nation's colonization and birthright citizenship. \"Aunque Naciera en la Luna\" explores a diasporic Puerto Rican identity within the United States by juxtaposing contemporary social formations such as social networks and community building, and migrant lived experiences. I will ground my analysis within a series of semi-structured familial interviews conducted over a month and an auto-ethnographic approach on my own experience growing up in a Puerto Rican community in Connecticut. This thesis delves into what it means to be in diaspora during pivotal moments in Puerto Rico's modern history. Theorists such as Robinson (1998), Faist (2000), and Vertovec (2001) have long expanded the transnational study beyond an understanding of nation-states or globalization, but towards a focus on ethnicity and migration. By mapping transnational networks within mundane spaces- such as schools, churches, and local businesses- this writing draws out overlooked histories of migrant experiences. The transnational framework prioritizes an investigation of the people, focusing on the global community over state actors. Its purpose is to provide a cohesive but more complex account of cultural and political identities that transcend borders as informed through migration, displacement, and racialization. I argue that Puerto Rico's narrative is incomplete without the crucial perspectives of those who have \"chosen\" to leave the island. The collective relationship to both Puerto Rico and the United States is integral to any substantive analysis within the study of the diaspora.
"},{"label":"Degree","value":["Bachelor of Arts with Departmental Honors"]},{"label":"Author-supplied Keywords","value":["Transnational","Migration","Diaspora"]},{"label":"Administrative Note","value":"Drupal Node ID: 24092