Puerto Rican Politics in the United States: Examination of Major Perspectives and Theories

This article examines four major theoretical perspectives on the study of Puerto Rican politics in the United States: internal colonialism and mode of incorporation; pluralism; revised pluralism; and radical-structuralism. For this purpose it reviews the works of four authors: Felix Padilla, James Jennings, José Cruz, and José Ramón Sánchez. It also addresses major theoretical and analytical problems and concepts in the field: the Puerto Rican exception ; Puerto Rican political participation, representation, and incorporation; ethnic identity and politics; and relations between Puerto Rico and the mainland communities.