Social Science Research Council

"Beyond the Imperial Gaze: The Cuban Diaspora in Mexico"

The overall focus of my dissertation and field research project is to explore the concepts of exile, diapora and nation through an examination of the cultural production of the Cuban intellectual community in Mexico as a case study for the wider issues of the dispersed Cuban culture. My focus on one facet of the diverse Cuban diaspora, aims to move beyond the perception, and exploitation, of the antagonistic Miami-La Havana axis and thus open the consideration of Cuban cultural studies. In my dissertation, I will question current conceptualizations of diaspora, and the Cuban diaspora in particular. The main theme is an exploration of Cuban culture beyond the historic confrontation between Cuba and the United States and I believe that this can best be achieved by removing the discussion from these geographical limitations, at least as a first step. This displacement is meant as one of many possible alternatives in order to provide a space from which to explore openings which are also manifested within the United States and Cuba, as well as other sites. Mexico is an important site for this first step because of the relationship that Mexico and Cuba have developed through their commonalities such as a national image founded in Revolution and struggles with the imperial projects of Spain and the United States. For my project, I intend to place the Cuban community in Mexico into the context of the transnational dialogues created by previous exiles in Mexico, in order to examine the means by which the current Cuban diaspora draws on the experience of others to construct a transnational identity, while conscious of operating in a unique geopolitical context. That is, in addition to exploring the context of Cuban diaspora, I analyze the intersection of Mexico as a site of congregation for Latin American exiles in the 1960's and 1970's, the cultural production of Cubans currently working in Mexico and the reception of this work within Mexico. As such, my field research will consist of interviews with members of the Cuban community in Mexico, members of previous exile communities, and Mexican intellectuals who have interacted with these diasporic communities. These interviews are aimed at collating personal experiences and attitudes toward transnational relationships and the factors affecting these relationships. I will also conduct archival research to document depictions of Cuban culture and the participation of Cubans in Mexican cultural publications, television and film. My dissertation will lay out this contextual information and use it as a point of departure for close readings of texts produced by Cubans in Mexico. My current focus is on Eliseo Alberto's Informe contra mí mismo (Report against myself) and José Manuel Prieto's Livadia (Nocturnal Butterflies of the Russian Empire) as texts that both celebrate and question ex-centricity and transnational relationships.