Tacit Subjects: Belonging and Same-Sex Desire among Dominican Immigrant Men

by Carlos Ulises Decena

Tacit Subjects is a pioneering analysis of how gay immigrant men of color negotiate race, sexuality, and power in their daily lives. Drawing on ethnographic research with Dominicans in New York City, Carlos Ulises Decena explains that while the men who shared their life stories with him may self-identify as gay, they are not the liberated figures of traditional gay migration narratives. Decena contends that in migrating to Washington Heights, a Dominican enclave in New York, these men moved from one site to another within an increasingly transnational Dominican society. Many of them migrated and survived through the resources of their families and broader communities. Explicit acknowledgment or discussion of their homosexuality might rupture these crucial social and familial bonds. Yet some of Decena’s informants were sure that their sexuality was tacitly understood by their family members or others close to them. Analyzing their recollections about migration, settlement, masculinity, sex, and return trips to the Dominican Republic, Decena describes how the men at the center of Tacit Subjects contest, reproduce, and reformulate Dominican identity in New York. Their stories reveal how differences in class, race, and education shape their relations with fellow Dominicans. They also offer a view of “gay New York” that foregrounds the struggles for respect, belonging, and survival within a particular immigrant community.

Genres: Gender, History, Nonfiction, Grad School

328 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Larry Fountain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ethnography of Dominican American gay men in New York City.

[Wendy Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

read for class - anthro of latinx. really interesting theoretical moves, great ethnography, love how he handled language and positionality

[K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very interesting reflection on a perspective of “coming out” that we often don’t see in Western culture. While value is placed on the explicit and bold declaration of sexuality and gender in Western culture, this analysis gave voice to another mode of gay (which I use generally)life where a declaration would be redundant and where not “coming out” could even be considered maintaining one’s privacy.

The paper focuses on gay Dominican immigrants, yet as the author notes, the ideas could apply to other communities of color in the United States.

[Pete Dematteo · Rating 4 out of 5]

pedantic, inchoate, grossly wordy, yet well-meaning, this book was a perfect textbook for some sociology course at the new school for social research. exaggerated masculinity is such a deep facet of the dominican culture that every member seems to worship it, males and females alike, straights, bisexuals, and gays included. structural democrats to meet their immediate wants and needs temporarily, the group is truly republican in its sentiments, obsession with status and materialism, and ideals, but it far more sensitive to being slighted than their cuban brethren. that's what mr. decena won't dare mention for the life of him.

[Diaspora1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautifully written. fastidiously researched. this path-breaking work is a real achievement.