Soldiers of the Nation: Military Service and Modern Puerto Rico, 1868-1952

A groundbreaking history of Puerto Rican soldiers, national identity, and the contested meanings of empire and citizenship.

As Puerto Rico shifted from Spanish to U.S. imperial rule, its people were thrust into a new political reality—one in which military service became a key pathway to both inclusion and resistance. In Soldiers of the Nation, historian Harry Franqui-Rivera offers a bold and deeply researched exploration of how colonial military service shaped Puerto Rican identity, politics, and society.

While previous studies of U.S. imperialism have focused on cultural or economic domination, Franqui-Rivera centers the experience of Puerto Rican men in the armed forces to reveal how military participation helped define what it meant to be Puerto Rican. From the early 20th century through the creation of the Estado Libre Asociado in 1952, he traces how service in colonial militias and U.S. armed forces transformed the boundaries of citizenship, belonging, and masculinity on the island.

Far from passive subjects of empire, Puerto Rican soldiers forged new forms of political consciousness and popular nationalism. They navigated—and at times resisted—the contradictions of colonial subjugation while asserting a broad, inclusive vision of Puertorriqueñidad rooted in both service and self-determination.

Rich in archival detail and critical insight, Soldiers of the Nation offers a vital contribution to Puerto Rican, Caribbean, and U.S. imperial history—challenging readers to rethink the intersections of military power, colonialism, and identity in the modern Americas.

Año: 2021 | Páginas: 348

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