Non-Traditional Dominican Migration and its Effects on Foreign Affairs, Gender Norms and Race Relations: Migration to Madrid, Spain in Comparison to the United States

By: Janil Tejada '15

Advising Faculty: Leo Garofalo

This project resulted as an evolution of Tejada's past research on "Latin American Migration to the United States and its Effects on Education Policy." She is now focusing on migration from the Dominican Republic to Madrid, Spain. Dominican migration to the United States is partially responsible for the use of the phrase "transnational migration." However, large numbers of Dominicans also migrated to Madrid at around the same time - 1970's in the post-Trujillo era. Tejada is particularly interested in looking at the Dominican female experience in Madrid as they migrated in larger numbers, as well as seeing why the pull for females to migrate was larger than the pull for males. She will also be analyzing racial tensions between Afro-Dominican women and the Spanish, as there have been several accounts of violence. The Dominican experience and foreign policy in the United States will be used as a point of comparison with Spain. Research is being conducted through the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, as well as a current 400-level seminar in the Hispanics studies department. She intends to go to Madrid for several weeks during the upcoming summer to conduct field research, archival research and interviews. This project will culminate in an honors thesis, as well as an archival website hosting several videos and transcripts of interviews.

Related Fields: Global/International, Hispanic Studies, History, Holleran Center, Latin American And Latino Studies