State Gender And Institutional Change In Cuba S Special Period

The abrupt loss of Soviet financial support in 1989 resulted in the near-collapse of the Cuban economy, ushering in the almost two decades of austerity measures and severe shortages of food and basic consumer goods referred to as the Special Period. Through the innovative framework of individual and collective memory, Daliany Jerónimo Kersh brings together analysis of press sources and oral histories to offer a compelling portrait of how Cuban women cleverly combined various forms of paid work to make ends meet. Disproportionately impacted by the economic crisis given their role as primary caregivers and household managers and unable to survive on devalued state salaries alone, women often employed informal and illegal earning strategies. As she argues, this regression into gendered work such as cooking, sewing, cleaning, reselling, and providing sexual services precipitated by the post-Soviet crisis to a large extent marked a return to pre-revolutionary gendered divisions of labor.

“Frequent insights, stimulating historical comparisons, and command of the data relating to Cuba’s economic and social performance.” —Foreign Affairs Uncritically lauded by the left and impulsively denounced by the right, the Cuban Revolution is almost universally viewed one dimensionally. In this book, Samuel Farber, one of its most informed left-wing critics, provides a much-needed critical assessment of the Revolution’s impact and legacy. “The Cuban story twists and turns as we speak, so thank goodness for scholars such as Samuel Farber, an unapologetic Marxist whose knowledge of Cuban affairs is unrivalled . . . In this excellent, necessary book, Farber takes stock of fifty years of revolutionary control by recognizing achievements but lambasting authoritarianism.” —Latin American Review of Books “A courageous and formidable balance-sheet of the Cuban Revolution, including a sobering analysis of a draconian ‘reform’ program that will only deepen the gulf between revolutionary slogans and the actual life of the people.” —Mike Davis, author of Planet of Slums

A Place in the Sun? examines the work of Cuban women writers in the 20th century. Catherine Davies explores how Cuban women's literature has contributed to constructions of a collective identity.

Gender and development theory and analysis is replete with implicit assumptions that women's entry into the world of paid work will positively affect their status both in the household and in the public sphere. Until recently the debate on global factories and export production has remained focused on women's individual experience of export employment- and the extent to which this represents a positive opportunity or gross exploitation. In spite of the extended discussion of rights and citizenship in the global economy, little attention has hitherto been paid to the implications for women's entitlements arising out of their pivotal role in export sectors. Whilst many assume that women's visible and crucial presence in key economic sectors will be reflected in the ways in which social policies are formulated, there has been up to now little empirical and analytical engagement with this question. This volume, bringing together detailed commissioned studies from six developing countries, aims to fill this gap.

This book provides a comprehensive view of women's political participation in Latin America. Focusing on the latter half of the twentieth century, it examines five different arenas of action and debate: political institutions, workplaces, social movements, revolutions and feminisms.

A comprehensive introduction to the important economic, social and political processes and development issues in this extremely popular region. The Central American nations and those of the Caribbean (including Guyana, Surinam and French Guiana on the mainland) share many historical processes as well as experiencing similar development problems today. These include European colonialism, structural adjustment, small size, reliance on primary production, influence of the United States and moves towards democratisation. While Mexico is obviously a much larger country in area, economy and population terms, it is included in this volume because of its close ties to the other countries in the region through processes such as trade and migration.

Praise for the first edition: 'Accomplishes its task to provide readers with a broad multi-disciplinary view on globalization's many impacts on Latin America ... the organization of the collection is logical and thoughtful, and the structural perspectives offered are convincing and powerful. I recommend it to other Latin American social scientists.' Growth and Change 'An impressive, timely and lively volume, which is especially valuable for teaching purposes.' Journal of Latin American Studies 'Authoritatively written by leading scholars in their respective fields.' Area Latin America Transformed, 2nd Edition explains the region's economic, political, social and cultural transformations, its association with globalization and the search for modernity, and contributes to a greater understanding of how these transformations are affecting the people of Latin America. Using a political economy approach to unravel the concepts of globalization and modernity within Latin America, emphasis is placed on interpreting the macro-level structures that frame the transformations taking place. The book also investigates the dynamics of people's livelihoods as they make sense of, rework and live out these structural transformations. The international team of authors involved with the successful first edition have updated their focus and substantially rewritten their material to examine the challenges facing Latin America in the twenty-first century. Three completely new chapters have also been added. Latin America Transformed, 2nd Edition is now even more useful for undergraduate and postgraduate courses that examine economic, political, social and cultural change in Latin America.