“Why Can’t We Have Some Kind of Unity?” Cultural Contention Amongst Puerto Rican and Black Residents in Southern Suburbia

Abstract

This study examines Puerto Rican-Black intergroup relations in Poinciana, Florida, a new immigrant destination in the suburban south led by the country’s largest homeowners association. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with 47 residents, I interrogate interpersonal relationships, feelings of belonging, and how residents’ lack of sociopolitical agency contribute to perceptions of intergroup relations. Past research evidences both coalition and tensions between Puerto Rican and Black co-residents, including shared marginalization experiences leading to increased coalition, or economic competition leading to contention. As migration to new immigrant destinations continues to rise, this study suggests minoritized groups may hold discordant conceptualizations of their relationship, what I refer to as “cultural contention.” While Puerto Ricans describe a shared sense of marginalization and unity with their Black neighbors, Black residents express concerns over displacement. With the precarious status of the community, there are few opportunities for residents to coalesce, and further fragmentation is possible.