ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the construction of extremist Puerto Rican national identity and the forging of cultural nationalism (first on the island of Puerto Rico, then in the United States) in the twentieth century. Radical cultural nationalism was highly motivated by Fidel Castro’s style of Marxism–Leninism, left-wing radicalism, and the campaign for the separation of Puerto Rico from America. The case study of Lolita Lebrón illustrates how retraimiento (the principle according to which America should be extracted from Puerto Rico) can be a massive motivator. Another important case study that is discussed is the Armed Forces of National Liberation (or FALN).
