DOMINICANS’ SELF-IDENTIFICATION AND SEGMENTED ASSIMILATION
IN THE UNITED STATES
Sahiry Rodriguez
Dr. Ron Flores, Faculty Mentor
St. Lawrence University McNair Scholars Program
Dominicans’ self-identification in the United States is a function of segmented assimilation, where over time those of African ancestry might come to learn and internalize the U.S. racial binary. This study argues that the process/pace/character of segmented assimilation is affected by a variety of factors including the racial and ethnic composition of the community of one’s youth, social class, and education. This research is significant because it focuses on how Dominicans self-identify in a society with a totally different racial system than the one they are used to – a system that confronts them with their blackness. What are the effects of such confrontation?