Cuba Facing Forward: Balancing Development and Identity in the Twenty-First Century by David White


Cuba Facing Forward: Balancing Development and Identity in the Twenty-First Century
Title : Cuba Facing Forward: Balancing Development and Identity in the Twenty-First Century
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : -
ISBN-10 : 9780615345475
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 309
Publication : Published April 3, 2018

Cuba Facing Forward is an edited collection of critical essays and new research that brings together a diverse group of professional and academic experts to explore the infrastructural, architectural, economic, and socio-political future of Cuba, rooted in a firm understanding of the nation’s past. Subjects include the Cuba-US relationship, tourism, urban agriculture, natural resource governance, formal and informal employment, architecture, housing, and social inclusion.

With the death of Fidel Castro in 2016, Cuba's challenges, virtues, and fortitude were thrust back into the spotlight—this time with an eye towards the future. The economic and social policies of the Revolution are increasingly less viable for modern Cuba, and change is inevitable. As such, Cuba is today's best example of contexts in which potential political change could have broad social, cultural, economic, and environmental ramifications.

In light of these changes, Cubans can anticipate a significant increase in US interest in investment and development opportunities on the island. Despite the complex history between Cuba and the US, a more open, productive relationship between the two nations could be an invaluable asset as Cubans work to repair failing infrastructure, invest in the expanding economy, and develop a more robust and sustainable tourist system. Yet there is a reasonable concern that American interest and investment comes with certain expectations that Cuba will radically change its social, governmental, or political structure to be more in-line with the American system. This collection aims to introduce a "path forward" that prioritizes Cuban-led initiatives and desires, and works to remove externally imposed barriers that constrain their success.

Featuring Belmont Freeman, David White, Violaine Jolivet, Mario Gonzalez-Corzo, Daniel Gallagher, Ted Henken, Anya Brickman Raredon, Sujatha Fernandes, Lucas Spiro, Victor Silva and Katherine Aronson Ensign, Manuel Gonzalez Herrera and Mercedes de los Ángeles Rodríguez, Vaughn Thomas Horn, Victor Deupi, and Carmelo Mesa-Lago.