Exporting Dissent: Education and the Making of New York City's Dominican Community (1960–2002)

Author

• Jayson M. Castillo, CUNY Graduate CenterFollow

Date of Degree

6-2026

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Urban Education

Advisor

José del Valle

Committee Members

Wendy Luttrell

Debbie Sonu

Subject Categories

Other Education | Other History

Keywords

Dominican Studies, Latino Studies, Education History, Dominican Migration, New York City, Education Activism

Abstract

A historical analysis of the role of education in the development of New York City’s Dominican community from 1960 to 2002, this dissertation documents the conditions Dominican immigrants made use of in the second half of the 20^th century to come together, build strong ties, and chart a path forward. Special attention is paid to the way the education policy landscape of the era, as a legacy of the Civil Rights Movement and the activism of Black and Puerto Rican people, served as a source of empowerment for Dominicans in New York City. Utilizing archival data sourced primarily from the Dominican Archives at the City College of New York, as well as data from the CUNY Digital History Archive, this dissertation traces the development of New York City’s Dominican community over a period of approximately four decades of maturation. Building on a well-established literature on Dominican migration and adding to the growing literature on Dominican political power in the United States, this dissertation looks specifically at the ways that local campaigns for better schools in the 1980s served as models to be replicated, as well as evidence that the community could be mobilized, to win political campaigns in the 1990s. Analysis of approximately four decades of archival data shows that, in the case of New York City Dominicans, the winding stories of community formation, advancement, and politicization are woefully incomplete without consideration for the ways that the education system operated as a tool and a site for community empowerment.

Recommended Citation

Castillo, Jayson M., "Exporting Dissent: Education and the Making of New York City's Dominican Community (1960–2002)" (2026). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/6627