Gazing at the Puerto Rican Anthropological Landscape: The “Natives” Look Far and Wide

Synopsis

Gazing at the Puerto Rican Anthropological Landscape examines the development of anthropology in Puerto Rico after the Second World War through the work of Puerto Rican, or "native," anthropologists. Challenging earlier traditions in which the island was primarily studied by outside researchers, this collection explores how local scholars have shaped the field while reflecting on questions of identity, positionality, methodology, and the politics of knowledge production.

Rather than treating Puerto Rico as an object of study, the essays investigate the diverse social, cultural, and political realities of Puerto Rican life on the island and throughout the diaspora. Bringing together contemporary debates in anthropology with historical reflection, this volume offers an important contribution to conversations about decolonizing research, Indigenous and local knowledge, and the evolving practice of anthropology.

About the Book

Edited by Isar P. Godreau, Hilda Lloréns, and Carlos G. Vélez-Ibáñez, this collection brings together leading Puerto Rican anthropologists whose work reflects on the history, methods, and future of anthropology in Puerto Rico and its diaspora. Their essays examine how local scholarship has transformed the discipline while engaging with broader global conversations in contemporary anthropology.

Publisher
International Publishers

Publication Date
October 7, 2025

Format
Paperback

Pages
320

Subjects
Anthropology · Puerto Rico · Caribbean Studies · Social Sciences · Decolonial Studies

ISBN
9781685712266