The Cuba Reader

Tracking Cuban history from 1492 to the present, The Cuba Reader includes more than one hundred selections that present myriad perspectives on Cuba's history, culture, and politics. The volume foregrounds the experience of Cubans from all walks of life, including slaves, prostitutes, doctors, activists, and historians. Combining songs, poetry, fiction, journalism, political speeches, and many other types of documents, this revised and updated second edition of The Cuba Reader contains over twenty new selections that explore the changes and continuities in Cuba since Fidel Castro stepped down from power in 2006. For students, travelers, and all those who want to know more about the island nation just ninety miles south of Florida, The Cuba Reader is an invaluable introduction.

Aviva Chomsky is Professor of History at Salem State University. Barry Carr is Emeritus Professor of Latin American History at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. Alfredo Prieto is an independent researcher and editor. Pamela Maria Smorkaloff lives and writes in Mexico City.

Acknowledgments  xiii Introduction  1 I. Indigenous Society and Conquest  7 II. Sugar, Slavery, and Colonialism  37 III. The Struggle for Independence  111 IV. Neocolonialism  141 V. Building a New Society  309 VI. Culture and Revolution  405 VII. The Cuban Revolution and the World  453 VIII. The PerÍodo Especial  517 IX. Cuba after Fidel: Continuities and Transitions  577 Suggestions for Further Reading  683 Acknowledgment of Copyrights and Sources  697 Index  709