Catastrophe and Colonialism
Hurricane Maria brutally exposed the crisis of Puerto Rico's colonial status.
Puerto Rico residents watching a US Army helicopter drop off supplies in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Mario Tama / Getty Images
In the last ninety years, three catastrophic hurricanes have struck Puerto Rico.
San Felipe II in 1928 and San Ciprían in 1932 triggered political and economic changes in America’s largest colony that endured for generations. However, Puerto Rico remains an unincorporated territorial possession of the United States, subject to the plenary powers of Congress. The Puerto Rican government exercises only those powers that the Congress allows. In other words, it is still a colony.
As a political economist who has studied Puerto Rican political and economic change, I believe Hurricane Maria could be another watershed moment that redefines United States treatment of Puerto Rico.
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