CRI Director Invited to Participate in German Conference

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Dr. Jorge Duany will participate in an international and interdisciplinary conference titled "Reshaping (G)local Dynamics of the Caribbean: Relations and Disconnections." The conference will be held in Hannover, Germany, on October 14–17, 2015, sponsored by the Universities of Hannover, Bremen, and Heidelberg. The title of Dr. Duany's presentation will be "Qué Pasa, Little Havana: The Transnational Landscapes of the Cuban Diaspora in Miami."

In his paper, Dr. Duany proposes to review the transformation of Miami's physical and cultural landscape by its Cuban inhabitants. First, the paper will synthesize the main settlement patterns of Cubans in the United States, especially in South Florida and more particularly in Little Havana, a neighborhood where many exiles have established themselves since 1959. Then the author will trace the geographic and economic contours of the Cuban enclave in Miami before analyzing some of the transnational spaces that symbolically link Cuban émigrés with their past and their country of origin. He is particularly interested in evaluating the impact of these spatial practices on the cultural identities of the Cuban diaspora. More broadly, the author will argue that many Cubans living outside the island—especially in Miami—hold on to the idea of a nation that overflows territorial borders and is not restricted to the contemporary socialist state, with which most of them disagree.

To see more details and to download the conference program, click here.