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| Jan (6) | Feb (4) | Mar (6) | Apr (2) | May (4) | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
January
Call for Applications | 2023 Díaz-Ayala Library Travel Grants
The Cuban Research Institute, the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center, and the FIU Libraries are pleased to request applications from scholars and graduate students for the early summer of 2023. The Díaz-Ayala Library Travel Grants provide the opportunity to conduct research in the special collections and archives related to Cuba and Cuban Americans at the FIU Libraries.
The Social Impact of the Economic Crisis in Cuba
Based on official Cuban statistics, Dr. Carmelo Mesa-Lago evaluates the impact of the crisis on the main social indicators in 2020–2021, including employment, wages, pensions, social security, food shortages and prices, health, housing, poverty, and social assistance. Most of these indicators have deteriorated and, according to the author, will probably continue to deteriorate unless an urgent structural reform is undertaken in Cuba.
Cuba's Current Economic Crisis
In his latest analysis, Dr. Carmelo Mesa-Lago argues that Cuba is undergoing a "second Special Period"—in reference to the extended economic decline on the island after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The noted economist concludes that the economic measures taken by the Díaz-Canel government are insufficient to get Cuba out of the severe economic crisis it suffers and promote sustainable economic development in the future. Read the paper here.
Call for Applications | Fellowship Program for Threatened Cuban Scholars
The Mellon Foundation has awarded a $750,000 grant to FIU's Cuban Research Institute to establish a three-year fellowship program for threatened Cuban scholars. The program will help artists, writers, scholars, and journalists from the island to continue their work in safety. It will substantially broaden and deepen current discussions about intellectual freedom—including freedom of thought and expression—in Cuba, the United States, and worldwide.
CRI in the News | US Resumes Full Immigrant Visa Service in Havana
Jorge Duany, a Cuba specialist at Florida International University, pointed out that recent talks between Cuba and the US were "limited to migration issues" and did not indicate a general warming of ties. By resuming visa services, "Mr Biden is trying to recalibrate his policy towards Cuba, seeking a middle way between Trump’s 'maximum pressure' and Obama's 'rapprochement,'" said Duany. "But for the time being the changes in American policy towards the island have been minimal," he added.
CRI in the News | Cuban Exodus to U.S. the Largest in History amid Economic Crisis, Gov't Crackdowns
Border authorities recorded more than 227,000 Cubans attempting to enter into the United States illegally from 2021 to 2022, which represents the largest exodus in history, Agence France-Presse reported. The 227,000 is more than the two largest previous mass departures when 125,000 Cubans left for the United States in 1980 and when 34,000 people did in 1994, Florida International University’s Jorge Duany said.
February
SIPA News | Miami Conference on Global Democracy 2023
Join the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs to explore the phenomenon of contemporary democratic backsliding on a global scale. Guest speakers and expert panels will explore how waning public support for democracy, economic inequality and social tensions, populist politics, external pressures from great power competition, and the weakening of political institutions and processes have all contributed to a steady decline in democracy worldwide.
2023 "El Titán" Award Gala Dinner in New York
The Cuban Cultural Center of New York will recognize the multiple contributions of Emilio Cueto toward promoting and preserving Cuban cultural heritage. Cueto is a frequent collaborator of CRI and other cultural institutions.
CRI Announces 2023 Eliana Rivero Scholarships
We're pleased to announce the results of the 2023 competition for FIU faculty members and graduate students. The scholarships will support six presentations at academic conferences related to Cuban and Cuban American studies.
Interview with Dr. Jorge Duany
CRI Director Dr. Jorge Duany discusses the current Cuban refugee crisis as well as his new coedited volume on Cuba and Puerto Rico, in conversation with Dr. Lillian Guerra.
March
Legalis: A New Tool to Access Cuban Legal Norms
The online Cuban journal "El Toque" has just launched a new digital tool that provides access to Cuban legislation and legal information in general. The service includes a search engine of legal norms published in Cuba's "Gaceta Oficial," as well as a glossary of legal terms, a FAQ section, and an assistance chat for consultations.
Call for Papers and Panel Proposals | Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy (ASCE)
ASCE is issuing a call for papers and panel proposals to be presented at its 2023 Annual Conference, which will be held in Miami, at the Modesto Maidique Campus of Florida International University (FIU), August 4-6. 2023. While the focus will be on economic reforms, ASCE also welcomes Cuba-focused papers dealing with the political or social economy, economic history, lessons from other countries, international commercial relations, demography, labor market issues, and the diaspora.
Briefing on Cuba | Cuba's Electric Grid: Challenges and Opportunities
Energy industry expert Jorge R. Piñón documents the multiple challenges faced by Cuba's National Electric System (SEN), including an obsolete and collapsing infrastructure, as well as the lack of maintenance capital and the high contaminating effects of its current operation. During the summer of 2022, the power grid was on the threshold of total collapse. Piñón advocates a decentralized model of economic planning and decision making to rebuild Cuba's electrical system.
2023 Crossing Latinidades Fellowships Announced
Congratulations to FIU graduate students Gina Gómez (Global & Sociocultural Studies) and Maria Zyla (History) on being selected to attend the 2023 Summer Institute in Latino Humanities at the University of Illinois at Chicago! The institute brings together thirty-two second and third-year pre-dissertation doctoral students pursuing Ph.D.'s in the humanities and humanistic social sciences in sixteen universities who plan to work on Latino Studies dissertations.
CRI in the News | As Holidaying Canadians Return to Cuba, Cubans Are Fleeing in Record Numbers
According to CBC/Radio-Canada, Canadians accounted for about 52 per cent of all foreign arrivals in Cuba in January. Cubans themselves, meanwhile, are fleeing the island nation in record numbers in response to unprecedented levels of poverty and political repression. More than 220,000 Cubans—amounting to 2 per cent of the island's entire population—were taken into custody after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border last year.
Webinar | Publishing and the Humanities
The University Press of Florida will hold a two-part webinar on getting published. The first session will provide information to scholars interested in publishing with a university press, from the perspective of both authors and editors. The second session will focus on career paths at the intersection of the humanities, public engagement, and scholarly publishing.
April
National Portrait Gallery Presents Major Exhibit on 1898
The first major Smithsonian exhibition to examine the U.S. intervention in Cuba and U.S. expansion into Guam, Hawaiʻi, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines will open on April 28, 2023. Through the lens of portraiture and visual culture, this exhibition of more than 90 objects presents the perspectives of those who advocated for overseas expansion, those who opposed it, and those who tried to have agency over their political futures after the War of 1898.
Announcing the Recipients of the 2023 Díaz-Ayala Library Travel Grants
The Cuban Research Institute, the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center, and the FIU Libraries are pleased to announce the winners of this year's competition. The grant recipients will spend a week consulting FIU's extensive collections on Cuba and its diaspora, and give a lecture on their research topics.
May
CRI in the News | How Important Is the Hispanic Vote?
Experts like Sebastián Arcos with the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University explain that, in 2014, only 53% of Cuban Americans were registered Republicans. It was the lowest majority ever seen, but things have changed.
CRI in the News | Cubans Win Mellon Fellowships from FIU for Threatened Artists and Academics
The four winners were poet Katherine Bisquet, anthropologist Marialina García Ramos, art historian Omara Ruiz Urquiola, and artist Lía Villares. Each will be able to pursue their individual projects while in residence at FIU during the academic year 2023–24.
CRI Spring 2023 Newsletter
During the spring semester, the Cuban Research Institute sponsored or cosponsored twenty-nine public events, including panel discussions, lectures, book presentations, film screenings, and an art exhibition. We're planning many upcoming events to advance Cuban and Cuban American studies.
Announcing the Recipients of the Mellon Fellowships for Threatened Cuban Scholars
CRI's fellowship program will help artists, artists, academics, and journalists displaced from the island to continue their work at FIU. It will substantially broaden and deepen current discussions about intellectual freedom—including freedom of thought and expression—in Cuba, the United States, and worldwide.
