Testimonios in Liminal Spaces: Puerto Rican Women Living in Extended-Stay and Shelter Hotels in New York City After Hurricane Maria

Author

Jessica Crespo, The Graduate Center, City University of New YorkFollow

Date of Degree

5-2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Program

Liberal Studies

Advisor

Karen Miller

Keywords

Puerto Rican women, permanent liminality, testimonios, colonialism, migration, agency

Abstract

As a result of Hurricane Maria, many Puerto Rican women were forced to seek refuge in New York City's extended-stay and shelter hotels. This research reviews the concept of permanent liminality and applies it to the colonial relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States. The study focuses on the testimonios of six Puerto Rican women, who voiced their experiences and struggles while living in between home/ homelessness and New York City/Puerto Rico. In their testimonios women employed the discourse of motherhood to legitimize their children's needs as U.S. citizens. The testimonios locate women within a larger community of Puerto Ricans who resisted FEMA's second-class treatment. Each testimonio presents themes connected to women's struggles, anxieties about living in a liminal space, rights, and equal treatment as citizens.

Recommended Citation

Crespo, Jessica, "Testimonios in Liminal Spaces: Puerto Rican Women Living in Extended-Stay and Shelter Hotels in New York City After Hurricane Maria" (2019). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3182