Puerto Rican Men and the Struggle for Place in the United States

Abstract

This article explores the construction of masculinity among poor and working-class Puerto Rican men on the mainland, filling a distinct gap in both the literatures on Puerto Ricans' and men's studies. Based on extensive interviews with a group of Puerto Rican men, the authors focus on the ways in which these men are staking out their identity on the mainland, as well as the social context in which this identity construction is taking place. It is argued that an affirmation of cultural citizenship is wrapped around notions of patriarchal authority and that a screaming to be heard “as a man” on the mainland exists within a context in which these men are stripped of all the costumes and accoutrements that enable “men to be men.” The subject of domestic violence is also probed.