Colonial Mentality as a Vehicle of Fragmentation and Horizontal Oppression in Puerto Ricans living in the U.S.

Colonial mentality describes how oppressed groups internalize the colonial narratives that have dehumanized them and made them subject to extreme physical, economic, and psychological violence rooted in racism and White supremacy. Beyond lacerating individuals’ identities, colonial mentality could also function as a mechanism to create intragroup conflicts. This exploratory study investigated how colonial mentality manifests through fragmentation and horizontal oppression among 13 Puerto Rican adults living in the United States. To do this, I examined the differences between their perception of the self and their perceptions of other Puerto Ricans. A thematic analysis yielded three themes: (a) fragmentation, (b) horizontal oppression, and (c) cognitive dissonance. Each theme had several subthemes portraying participants’ perceived differences in what makes an exemplary Puerto Rican juxtaposed with undesirable portrayals of being Puerto Rican. Results also portrayed how colonial mentality’s insidiousness is associated with ruptures, antagonization, and reproduction of oppression at the intragroup level. Within the last theme, however, participants’ language and narratives conveyed resistance to colonial mentality and an oasis for hope when battling coloniality at the interpersonal and relational levels. Findings from this study help expand the understanding of how colonial trauma also has significant effects on Puerto Ricans’ intragroup dynamics.