Diaspora Studies in Education ― Toward a Framework for Understanding the Experiences of Transnational Communities

In 13 essays, education, sociology, and anthropology scholars from the US examine the education of Puerto Ricans in the US, emphasizing the processes that impact diasporization of the Latino/a population in education. They explore how Puerto Ricans confront, negotiate, and culturally produce their identities in relation to other groups and in response to local circumstances, looking at the participation of Puerto Rican youth in immigrant rights marches, the intersections between language practices, identities, and diasporization processes, and how diaspora identities are shaped in relation to the history and experiences of different groups and cultural geographies; how circular migration patterns of Puerto Ricans between the Island and the US and between multiple communities in the US shape belonging and produce identities and dispositions, with discussion of how diaspora processes intersect with the life histories of Puerto Rican teachers and the development of community cultural wealth for students; and the struggles and achievements of Puerto Ricans in the US to develop, preserve, and assert their cultural identities, including the impact of gentrification on community formation and education, the link between diaspora and colonialism, and challenges in securing quality education. Annotation c2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)

Rosalie Rolon-Dow is Associate Professor in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Delaware.
Jason G. Irizarry is Director of the Center for Urban Education and Associate Professor in the College of Education at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.