“What Surprised Me Is That They Try to Humiliate Me”: Conceptualizing the Role of Colonial Power Dynamics and Logics in Puerto Rican Postmigration Experiences

Abstract

The postmigration experience of Puerto Ricans is complex in ways that have been unaccounted for in existing psychological research. Dominant sociocultural frameworks (e.g., acculturative stress) fail to account for the role of colonialism on the postmigration well-being of Puerto Rican migrants. This study retrospectively examined the postmigration experiences of 24 self-identified recent Puerto Rican migrants living in Central Florida using focus groups. A constructivist grounded theory (CGT) analysis yielded a model that helps describe and explain these experiences. Generally, participants faced unexpected difficult social and economic postmigration circumstances. Although participants identified racism and within-group conflicts as reasons for experiencing postmigration challenges (e.g., difficulties finding a job), participants mostly blamed other Puerto Ricans living in Central Florida for their postmigration adversities. In turn, participants put physical and cognitive separation to distance themselves from other Puerto Ricans believed to be responsible for the harsh postmigration conditions participants faced in the United States. Together, the findings provide evidence of how colonial power dynamics and logics are embedded in how Puerto Rican migrants formulate expectations about migration, how they understand their postmigration circumstances, and how they react to postmigration challenges.