Overview
Cuba is witnessing profound change. The COVID-19 pandemic and the political changes in Cuba (with Miguel Díaz-Canel as president since 2018) and the United States (with the Trump and Biden administrations promoting a different stance on Cuba from Obama's) are dramatically redesigning the social, political, and economic reality on the island. This shifting environment positions Cuba as an ideal site to explore issues related to socialism, economic transformation, race relations, gender and sexuality, illicit/informal economies, poverty, food security and environmental risk, and urban challenges and planning as they unfold.
The objective of the Cuba Field Program - Reconceiving Citizenship, Race, Gender, Environment, Urban Infrastructure, and Neoliberalism, from The New School is to provide you with a unique research-oriented experience in which lectures and interactions with your peers from different countries provide you with a more in-depth understanding of global problems at play in a specific context. By studying the emergence of neoliberal practices in an allegedly market-less economy, of class and race disparity in a purportedly classless and post-racial society, and of gender equality in a highly gendered reality, you will acquire a political grammar that will make you a better citizen of your own country.
Project and Partner Organizations
Havana is Cuba’s economic, touristic, and political heart and a place where you will learn as much on the streets as in the classroom and through your involvement with Cuban organizations. Given the many assumptions of people outside, the shifting landscape within, and the need for cultural mediation in between, the project is articulated around three cores. First, you will take classes with leading Cuban intellectuals, providing you with an alternative viewpoint on concepts we question from and against a neoliberal perspective in the United States. Second, you will gain hands-on experience through visits, workshops, and direct engagement with projects run by Cuban NGOs and CBOs. Third, you will have to conceive, execute, and evaluate a research project leading to a publishable paper or other final product (e.g., a documentary film) — this can be an individual or group research project.- CASA/Casa de Las Américas (host institution)
- CEEC/Centro de Estudios de la Economia Cubana (macro- and micro-economy)
- CIPS/Centro de Investigación Psicológica y Social (youth, inequality, social distortions, cuentapropismo, marginality) project in La Timba with the Nicolas Guillen Foundation
- Journal REVOLUCIÓN Y CULTURA (peer-reviewed journal: Cuban culture)
- Journal TEMAS (peer-reviewed journal: Cuban society)
- CEDEM/Centro de Estudios Demográficos (demography, Cuba-U.S. migration)
- FLACSO/Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales
- JUAN MARINELLO (society, race, youth)
- ICAN (anthropology)
- ISRI/Instituto Superior de Relaciones Internacionales (Cuba-U.S. relations)
- Cuban and Foreign NGOs/GONGOS:
- FANJ/Fundación Antonio Núñez Jiménez de la naturaleza y el hombre (environment, food security)
- Fundación Nicolás Guillen (marginality, race)
- OAR/Oscar Arnulfo Romero (gender, violence, marginality)
- CIERIC/Centro de Intercambio y Referencia-Iniciativa Comunitaria (culture, local development)
- CEDEL/Centro de Desarrollo Local y Comunitario (local development, decentralization)
- ANAP/Asociación Nacional de Agricultores Pequeños (food security, food production; 350,000 members)
- PUND/UNDP
Programme Structure
- The objective of the Reconceiving Citizenship in Cuba field program is to provide you with a unique research-oriented experience in which lectures and interactions with your peers from different countries provide you with a more in-depth understanding of global problems at play in a specific context.
- By studying the emergence of neoliberal practices in an allegedly market-less economy, of class and race disparity in a purportedly classless and post-racial society, and of gender equality in a highly gendered reality, you will acquire a political grammar that will make you a better citizen of your own country.
Key information
Duration
- Full-time
- 2 months
Start dates & application deadlines
- Starting
- Apply before
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Language
Delivered
Disciplines
International Relations Environmental Economics & Policy Public PolicyAcademic requirements
We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.
English requirements
We are not aware of any English requirements for this programme.
Other requirements
General requirements
This programme will require students to demonstrate proficiency in English or Spanish.
To apply you will need to have the following materials ready before filling out the online application:
- A recent résumé or CV
- An academic or professional writing sample OR portfolio
- A brief essay (approximately 250-500 words) explaining: Your reasons for wanting to participate in that particular site — what experience or coursework leads you to choose that country? What experiences (research, internships, community service, travel, extracurricular activities, etc.) have you had that make you a strong candidate? What do you expect to gain from the experience, and how does the program fit into your study plans and goals?