Files
Abstract
This thesis analyzes the political implications of Taíno Indigenous resurgence among the Puerto Rican diaspora in New York City through a case study on the United Confederation of Taíno People (UCTP). I move away from questions of perceived ‘authenticity’ toward an understanding of the mobilization of Taíno identity as a form of resistance that uses counter-colonial historical narratives to enable political action in the present. The UCTP’s activism reflects how various histories of colonial violence get contested, negotiated, and utilized to affirm Taíno identity and launch political claims towards indigenous recognition and rights. The UCTP’s political desires not only require the affirmation and legibility of a living Taíno identity, but also allude to Puerto Rico’s nonsovereign status as an affective agent in Taíno identity formation and politics. In navigating the precarious political status of Puerto Rico, the UCTP recognizes that distinct histories are suited to different moments and theaters of rights and claims-making. Indigeneity, or what Taíno activists refer to as “indigenous consciousness,” is a dynamic social and political category that adapts and shifts in response to the colonial regimes imposed on Puerto Ricans. I conclude by suggesting the limits and possibilities of the UCTP’s activism for cultivating political futures of survival and solidarity for Greater Caribbean peoples.