Latinyorks: Primera, intermedia y segunda generación de (in)migrantes latinoamericanos en la ciudad de Nueva York

Abstract

This doctoral thesis deals with the ways Latin American immigrants try to adapt themselves to their new life in New York City. In the new city-destination, the immigrants construct their own symbolic, social, civic, and cultural spaces. This research also investigates the actions the subjects take to give meaning to and construct a representation of their immigration and stay, whether temporary or permanent, through a transnational lens.

This thesis presents the diverse socio-cultural patterns and transnational imaginary that are reflected in the (re)configuration of the cartography of (im)-migration in New York City from 1960 to 2010. This study offers empirical material collected from two groups of migrants representative of the Latino population and immigrant city: namely, communities from the Dominican Republic and México. These two groups have their own migratory history in New York, and have different migratory generations. Dominican migration started in the 1960s, while Mexican migration has a more recent history. Upon arrival in the city, each of these groups began unique episodes in the history of Latin American immigration to New York.

Latinos in the United States are often spoken of as though they constitute a homogeneous group, with only enough room for Puerto Ricans, Salvadorans, Mexicans, and Bolivians. This view neglects the fact that Latin America is itself an area of ethnic diversity, even within each nation. This study aims to generate a discussion about the meaning of being Latino and advance understanding of the peculiarities that inhabit this broad concept. All this comes from a territorial, social, cultural, and political perspective—inside and outside of Latin America.