“Comó somos?” Varying Ideas of Cuban Nationalism
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
History
Date of Award
Summer 2013
Abstract
Identity and community are human constructs, thus they are fluid and varied, and not all people in a community agree totally on what their community is. What happens when people within a nation disagree on what defines them or what direction their country should take? The result is varying interpretations and a lack of uniformity. Just as all nations have this variance, the island nation of Cuba underwent a series of events that fractured the concept of nationhood within its borders in the mid-twentieth century and continuing into at least the twenty-first century. As a result, there have been at least four separate communities at work, with different people and perspectives that identify themselves, at least in part, as Cuban, but defined their Cuba in relation to an 'other' Cuba, causing a break in community ideals. What resulted was the creation of several different perspectives of what it meant to be Cuban. This study proves the point of identity as a human construct. It does so by showing that the variance in human nature leads to variances in the creation of communities. It provides Cuba as an example of the variance of human nature and this identity. It does so by focusing on the development of identities of Castro, Miamians, and a newly studied community, the Nostalgios Cubanos. It argues that there are variances to the idea of 'Cuba,' depending on perspective and experience, just as there would be in any society.
Advisor
Jessica Brannon-Wranosky
Subject Categories
Arts and Humanities | History
Recommended Citation
Potter, Andrea, "“Comó somos?” Varying Ideas of Cuban Nationalism" (2013). Electronic Theses & Dissertations. 108.
https://digitalcommons.tamuc.edu/etd/108
