Black Political Activism and the Cuban Republic

“With this important, nuanced book, Melina Pappademos provides much-needed details and analysis about internal debates, political tensions, and personalities within Afro-Cuban organizations. This book will be valuable not only to Cuban specialists, but to those who study racial politics generally, Caribbean and Latin American studies, subaltern studies, and postcolonial studies.” — Robert Whitney, University of New Brunswick

“A wonderfully fresh and data-rich text on Black Cubans, their debates, and their activism during the early days of the Cuban Republic. Pappademos does a fabulous job of bringing to life these stakeholders of African descent seeking to deepen and further define their place in the tumultuous nation.” — Lisa Brock, Kalamazoo College

“[A] rich narrative that elucidates the fundamental role played by blacks in the formation of Cuban political structures.” — The Historian

“An excellent illustration of how the lens through which scholars view historical events dramatically alters the conclusions that they draw. . . . If a publication can reframe the study of a field, then as far as this reviewer is concerned, this book has accomplished such a task.” — Hispanic American Historical Review

“This book is recommended to students and specialists in Cuban history.” — Colonial Latin American Historical Review

“The relevance of this meticulously researched, extremely well written, and sophisticated study of an important dimension of Cuban politics . . . goes well beyond Cuban and Caribbean history to inform a number of fields in politics, ethnic studies, postcolonial studies, and diaspora studies. No other study of Cuban politics provides the exceptional richness of detail about black involvement in local and national life. . . . Highly recommended. All levels/libraries.” — CHOICE

“Pappademos provides a rich new interpretation of the way that blackness was constructed, deployed and negotiated in Cuba’s republican era.” — Caribbean Quarterly