The Cuban Research Institute is pleased to welcome Elix Colón as a Visiting Scholar from May to December 2019. During this period, Elix will conduct ethnographic fieldwork for her doctoral dissertation entitled "Economies of Care: Growing Old in Contemporary Cuba and Miami."
Elix's research focuses on quality of life amongst elders in contemporary Cuba. More specifically, she looks at how issues surrounding economic precarity affect care practices on the island while also exploring the global implications of demographic aging. Across many societies, personal value is often found in social utility and in the individual's ability to produce. Elix argues that beyond trying to financially support themselves, Cuban elders are also in search of new ways to retain their social capital and remain productive members of their society. The second phase of the project, which will take place in Miami, is still in the developmental stage, but will pursue the same types of questions among Cuban Americans. Ultimately, this project explores how Cubans and Cuban Americans navigate the joys and challenges of everyday life.
Elix Colón is a Ph.D. candidate in Anthropology at Stanford University. She earned her B.A. in American Studies and History (Magna Cum Laude) from Rutgers University and has since worked as a research assistant and as an educator in Spain through the Fulbright Program. She recently completed six months of ethnographic fieldwork in Havana, Cuba.
