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Ethnography and Colonialism

In the article “Ethnography and Colonialism,” Rosalina Diaz recounts her experience traveling to Puerto Rico following the devastation of Hurricane Maria in search of her mother. While there, she attempted to conduct an ethnographic study of the local population but quickly realized her approach was fundamentally flawed by an inherent colonial perspective. Diaz noted that her initial lines of questioning met with resistance from the community, forcing her to confront her own biases. Ultimately, she had to reframe her work by acknowledging the pervasive lens of colonialism to better understand and communicate the experiences of the Puerto Rican people she encountered.