A Cultural History of Cuba during the U.S. Occupation, 1898-1902

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232 pp., 6.125 x 9.25, 21 illus

Paperback ISBN: 978-0-8078-7192-8
Published: May 2011
E-book EPUB ISBN: 978-0-8078-7784-5
Published: May 2011
E-book PDF ISBN: 979-8-8908-8476-3
Published: May 2011

Latin America in Translation

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Awards & distinctions

2006 Clarence H. Haring Prize, American Historical Association

Winner of Cuba's National Award in Literature

In this cultural history of Cuba during the United States' brief but influential occupation from 1898 to 1902--a key transitional period following the Spanish-American War--Marial Iglesias Utset sheds light on the complex set of pressures that guided the formation and production of a burgeoning Cuban nationalism.

Drawing on archival and published sources, Iglesias illustrates the process by which Cubans maintained and created their own culturally relevant national symbols in the face of the U.S. occupation. Tracing Cuba's efforts to modernize in conjunction with plans by U.S. officials to shape the process, Iglesias analyzes, among other things, the influence of the English language on Spanish usage; the imposition of North American holidays, such as Thanksgiving, in place of traditional Cuban celebrations; the transformation of Havana into a new metropolis; and the development of patriotic symbols, including the Cuban flag, songs, monuments, and ceremonies. Iglesias argues that the Cuban response to U.S. imperialism, though largely critical, indeed involved elements of reliance, accommodation, and welcome. Above all, Iglesias argues, Cubans engaged the Americans on multiple levels, and her work demonstrates how their ambiguous responses to the U.S. occupation shaped the cultural transformation that gave rise to a new Cuban nationalism.

About the Authors

Marial Iglesias Utset is professor of history at the University of Havana.
For more information about Marial Iglesias Utset, visit the Author Page.

Russ Davidson is curator emeritus of Latin American and Iberian collections and professor emeritus of librarianship at the University of New Mexico.
For more information about Russ Davidson, visit the Author Page.

Reviews

“An innovative contribution to Cuban historiography.”--HAHR

“A sophisticated achievement, both in terms of the extent and breadth of the archival materials consulted and in terms of its reading of history. The writing style is clear and easy to follow and could work well in graduate courses or upper-division undergraduate courses.”--Hispanic American Historical Review

“Students will find a lively account of street-level politics in neocolonial Cuba. . . . Specialists will join one of the most vibrant conversations in contemporary Cuban historiography, a tertulia that is certain to engage Latin Americanists, as well as scholars of colonialism and cultural critics.”--Terrae Incognitae

"Iglesias Utset pushes the study of modern Cuba in an exciting new direction."--Caribbean Quarterly

"Iglesias's impressively written and sophisticated study graphically captures the turmoil of the important transitional period as Cuba moved from centuries of Spanish colonial rule to subordination under the United States after the critical war of 1895-1898. Russ Davidson's excellent translation matches the exceptionally elegant language of the original Spanish text."--Franklin W. Knight, The Johns Hopkins University