Download or read book Contested Identities Split Loyalties written by Val Karanxha and published by . This book was released on 2020-09-26 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The core claim of this book is that Puerto Rico is the outcome of distinct imperial policies that shaped the identity. The US takeover in 1898 became a critical point whether to preserve the imperial identity or to embrace the North American, identity and culture. In their effort to maintain their control over Puerto Rico, the local elites embraced the nation-state's idea to block attempts of assimilation and invent a Puerto Rican national identity. This political objective became divisive and led to clashes between the clusters of the elite competing for power. One cluster of the Puerto Rican elites supported independence from the United States. The other cluster promoted cultural nationalism within the United States. Hence, in their political discourse, for both clusters, the other was the United States.