The purpose of this comparative study is to provide policymakers and the public with a useful perspective on the important questions that need to be answered in regards to the future status of Puerto Rico. This study, which was last updated in 1999, takes a comprehensive look at the different options available to Puerto Ricans – independence, maintenance of the status quo, and statehood. With its position as a Commonwealth in question, it is important to take into consideration the possibility of it becoming our 51st state.
The research, which was completed amidst concerns that Quebec was going to secede from Canada, highlights the vital role that language plays in forming a national identity. Both Quebec and Puerto Rico had their own languages and cultures long before becoming part of English-speaking majority nations. In addition, both have populations in which the overwhelming majority speak a language different from that of the majority of the rest of the nation. And both have political movements that focus on independence as the key to maintaining a separate cultural and linguistic identity.
The research, which is compiled in an easy to read issue briefing, provides the interested reader with an informative and objective case study of the role language plays in forming a national identity. Read the full text of the research.
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