this is about 20 minute. >> lisa materson is an associate professor at the department of history at u.c. davis. you talked this morning about puerto rico and why it's important to historians. what did you tell your audience? >> i focused on the importance of placing puerto rico at the center of studies of u.s. history or of work by u.s.

this is about 20 minute. >> lisa materson is an associate professor at the department of history at u.c. davis. you talked this morning about puerto rico and why it's important to historians. what did you tell your audience? >> i focused on the importance of placing puerto rico at the center of studies of u.s. history or of work by u.s. historians. puerto rico, particularly among u.s. historians is not seen as part of u.s. history, or it falls through the cracks of latin american or u.s. history. the puerto rican studies association is a place where it's a very vibrant interdisciplinary conversation but because of the history of puerto rico as a doll any, it doesn't -- colony, it doesn't fit neatly into the geographical categories so it doesn't get the among u.s.hat reason historians. >> right now puerto rico is in the headlines as it tries to recover from an ulf -- awful hurricane that basically devastated the entire island, itself inif a structure. so many now are leaving and coming to florida and elsewhere in the u.s. does any of that surprise you based on the history that you've res

this is about 20 minutes. >> lisa materson is an associate professor at the department of history at.c. davis. you talked this morning about puerto rico and why it's important to historians. what did you tell your audience? >> i focused on the importance of placing puerto rico at the center of studies of u.s. by u.s.or work historians. so often puerto rico, particularly among u.s. historians is not seen as part of u.s. history, or it falls through the cracks of latin american history or u.s.

spanish-american war and talks about activist ruth reynolds and her role in the puerto rican independence >> lisa materson is an associate professor at the department ostory at u.c. davis. you talked this morning about puerto rico and why it's important to historians. what did you tell your audience? >> i focused on the importance of placing puerto rico at the center of studies of u.s. history or work by u.s. historians. so often puerto rico, particularly among u.s. historians is not seen as part of u.s. history, or it falls through the cracks of latin american history or u.s. history.