The Puerto Rican Journey revisited: politics and the study of Puerto Rican migration

This article assesses the historical and political context of The Puerto Rican Journey, a seminal text in the study of Puerto Rican migration. It argues that political objectives were more important than scholarly ones in launching this project. It was commissioned by the Puerto Rican government in an attempt to counteract the anti-Puerto Rican campaign-known in New York and Puerto Rico as the Puerto Rican problem -that unfolded in New York City during 1947. The process whereby the study was defined is examined, as well as its content and consequences for future analysis of the Puerto Rican experience in the United States.