Sophia University Institute of Comparative Culture Lecture Series in cooperation with the Graduate School of Global Studies and Institute of American and Canadian Studies presents

After Exile - Cuban Diaspora, Revolutionary Nostalgia and Global Tourism

Ruth BEHAR
April 19, 2013
18:30-20:00
Room 912, 9th Floor, Library

After the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the act of leaving the island was viewed as treason. Immigrants were called the "worms" of the Revolution by Fidel Castro.
In turn, those who left considered themselves "exiles,"
who broke ties with the communist island while still fiercely holding on to their Cuban identity. Recently, the relationship between the Cuban diaspora and the island has grown more fluid. Cubans living abroad now play a major role in the economic and cultural life of the island, bringing a range of consumer goods, including Dolce and Gabbana T-shirts, and sending remittances that have spurred capitalist expansion even as the political system remains mostly unchanged.
Tourism to the island has also made Cuba a "hot"
destination. The desire to consume the romance of the revolution, as well as pre-revolutionary nostalgia, is practically a global fantasy. Drawing on ethnographic stories, I will offer a panorama of how the new Cuba looks and feels in the era after exile.

Event flyer can be downloaded from this URL
http://icc.fla.sophia.ac.jp/html/events/2013-2014/130419_Behar.pdf

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