About Professor Cruz

University Expert

In addition to the Political Science Department at Rockefeller College, Professor José E. Cruz is affiliated with the Department of Latin American, U.S. Latino, and Caribbean Studies (LACS) at the College of Arts and Sciences. Under LACS, he directs the New York Latino Research and Resources Network (NYLARNet), a research consortium based at the University at Albany conducting and sponsoring research focused on Latinos in New York State, and the Latino Political Barometer (LPB), an annual regional survey of political values, attitudes, and behavior of Latinos. His research is about Latino political participation in the Northeast, focusing on Puerto Ricans in New York and Connecticut. In particular, Cruz's research explores the role of race and ethnicity in the political process, how minority elites fashion political alliances, and the role of leadership in bridging the gap between political representation and policy responsiveness. His first book, Identity and Power: Puerto Rican Politics and the Challenge of Ethnicity (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1998), explored the relationship between ethnic identity, political mobilization, and political empowerment. In 2000, Cruz co-authored Adios Borinquen Querida: The Puerto Rican Diaspora, Its History and Contributions (Albany, NY: CELAC), with Edna Acosta Belen, et al. This book examines the Puerto Rican experience in the United States from multiple disciplinary perspectives including political science, literature, sociology, and media studies. Professor Cruz is also the editor of Latino Immigration Policy: Context, Issues, Alternatives (Albany, NY: NYLARNet, 2008). This volume compiles the papers presented at the NYLARNet conference on immigration held in November 2006. Additionally, In 2009, the New York State Political Science Association granted the Best Faculty Paper Award to Professor Cruz for his paper “Pluralism and Ethnicity in New York City Politics: The Case of Puerto Ricans.”

Selected Publications

• Cruz, Jose E. “Pluralism and Ethnicity in New York City Politics: The Case of Puerto Ricans,” CENTRO 23:1 (Spring 2011): 5-35.
• Cruz, Jose E. “Barriers to Political Participation of Puerto Ricans and Hispanics in Osceola County, Florida: 1991-2007,” CENTRO 22:1 (Spring 2010): 243-285.
• Cruz, Jose E. “Puerto Rican Politics in New York City During the 1960s: Structural Ideation, Contingency, and Power,” in David F. Ericson, ed., The Politics of Inclusion and Exclusion, Identity Politics in Twenty-First Century America. New York: Routledge, 2010.
• Cruz, Jose E. “Latino Voting in the 2004 Election: The Case of New York,” (with Cecilia Ferradino and Sally Friedman), Latino Research Review 6:3 (2007-2008): 7-36;
• Cruz, Jose E. “Latino Politics in Connecticut: From Political representation to Policy Responsiveness,” in Andres Torres, ed., Latinos in New England, pp. 237-252 (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2006);
• Cruz, Jose E. “Interminority Relations in Legislative Settings: The Case of African Americans and Latinos,” in Anani Dzidzienyo and Suzanne Oboler, eds.
• Cruz, Jose E. "Neither Enemies nor Friends, Latinos, Blacks, Afro-Latinos" pp. 229-246 (New York: Palgrave, 2005).
• Cruz, Jose E. “Latinos in New York State: Demographic Status and Political Representation,” (2009) and “Looking Backward, Looking Forward: Puerto Ricans in the Quest for the New York City Mayoralty,” (2008).