Colonial Subjects is the first book to use a combination of world—system and postcolonial approaches to compare Puerto Rican migration with Caribbean migration to both the United States and Western Europe. Ramón Grosfoguel provides an alternative reading of the world—system approach to Puerto Rico's history, political economy, and urbanization processes. He offers a comprehensive and well—reasoned framework for understanding the position of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean, the position of Puerto Ricans in the United States, and the position of colonial migrants compared to noncolonial migrants in the world system.