There Are No Communists in Cuba
Public Deposited- Resource Type
- Creator
- Abstract
This study explores how Cubans organize their everyday livelihood strategies between the tacit principles of capitalism and socialism. Having conducted four months of ethnographic fieldwork in Cuba, I examine how individuals negotiate the contradictions which unfold within the island's economic system, where competing ideals of free market liberalization and social redistribution collide in discourse and practice. This collision is highlighted through ethnographic vignettes which showcase how Cubans who have grasped the legalized opportunity for self-employment have simultaneously been required to navigate difficult political economic circumstances, as committing oneself to these forms of independent labor also compels them to encounter their own in-formal ways to make up for systemic deficiencies. Blending semiotics and performativity with a political economic approach, I draw out how Cubans improvise beyond these structural limitations, showing how their performances of 'making do' often involve intermeshing seemingly contradictory socioeconomic dynamics.
- Subject
- Language
- Publisher
- Thesis Degree Level
- Thesis Degree Name
- Thesis Degree Discipline
- Identifier
- Rights Notes
Copyright © 2019 the author(s). Theses may be used for non-commercial research, educational, or related academic purposes only. Such uses include personal study, research, scholarship, and teaching. Theses may only be shared by linking to Carleton University Institutional Repository and no part may be used without proper attribution to the author. No part may be used for commercial purposes directly or indirectly via a for-profit platform; no adaptation or derivative works are permitted without consent from the copyright owner.
- Date Created
- 2019
Relations
- In Collection:
Items
Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Visibility | Actions |
---|---|---|---|---|
direnzo-therearenocommunistsincuba.pdf | 2023-05-05 | Public | Download |