Desde Quisqueya Hacia Borinquen: Experiences and Visibility of Immigrant Dominican Women in Puerto Rico: Violence, Lucha and Hope in Their Own Voices

25 Pages Posted: 13 Mar 2015

Date Written: 2012

Abstract

In this paper, I engage in a discussion of the experiences of Dominican women in Puerto Rico by using their own voices; voices that narrate the construction and deconstruction of their identities. These women have lived through daunting and often deplorable experiences of violence and disenfranchisement, but have also had wonderful stories and experiences along the way. These women in more ways than one “challenge the dominant discourse regarding women’s submission, intuition, and dependence vis-à-vis men.” I propose that while these immigrant women have put their lives on the line for their families and themselves, they are by no means passive, and are much more than just victims. The experience of migration for women can be marked by sexual violence and exploitation, while also giving them a sense of leadership and independence. The active voices of the women of the Centro de la Mujer Dominicana play a role in filling the void of information regarding Dominican women’s migratory experiences in Puerto Rico.

Keywords: Dominican women, Puerto Rico migration, women migration, transnationalism, Caribbean migration, domestic violence

Suggested Citation

Velez Martinez, Sheila I., Desde Quisqueya Hacia Borinquen: Experiences and Visibility of Immigrant Dominican Women in Puerto Rico: Violence, Lucha and Hope in Their Own Voices (2012). ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law, Vol. 18, p. 683, 2012, U. of Pittsburgh Legal Studies Research Paper , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2566992

Sheila I. Velez Martinez (Contact Author)

University of Pittsburgh School of Law ( email )

3900 Forbes Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
28
Abstract Views
499
PlumX Metrics