Diasporic Generations

Mette Louise Berg is a lecturer in the anthropology of migration at the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on memory, diaspora, transnationalism and intergenerational dynamics.

• Introduction: The Changing Contours of a Contested Island Writing Cuba and Its DiasporaCubans in SpainPost-colonial Subjects and Metropolitan Romance: Racialising CubannessEncounters in CádizOutline of the BookChapter 1. Ethnography and the Politics of FieldworkDoing Research in a Politicised Field Chapter 2. Diasporic GenerationsConceptualising GenerationCuba’s Contested PastDecolonisation, Independence and Spanish Migration to CubaFrom Republic to RevolutionThe Creation of a Cuban Diaspora post-1959Emigration from Cuba after 1959Conclusion Chapter 3. The Exiles: Bitterness and Nostalgia for a Lost Havana The Centro Cubano, the Círculo Católico and the Peña: Geographies of LongingExilic Time-Spaces and Longing for CubaIsabel  and the Politicisation of Everyday LifeFractured Families: MarianitoRicardo: Conflicts Between New and Old CubaSergio: ‘A Right-wing Dictatorship is not the Same as a Left-wing Dictatorship’Conclusion Chapter 4. The Children of the Revolution: Creating a Post-Cuban Space Cuba’s Hombre NuevoEncuentro de la Cultura CubanaOn Labelling and Name CallingBecaming and Feeling like a ‘Traidor’: Iván and MaidaCounter-Discourses of Cosmopolitanism Conclusion Chapter 5. The Migrants: Minimal Homelands Marriage MigrationCommodified CubannessLucy: ‘In Spain I Have More Freedom’César and the Elusive Abundance of ‘El Capitalismo’Oscar: ‘I Had to Start from Zero’Puente Familiar con Cuba: a New Politics of Memory and HomelandMirta and the Ambiguities of DistanceConclusion Chapter 6. Gender, Diaspora, and the Body Time-Spaces, Memory and ForgettingThe ‘Pain of Cuba’: Emotional Landscapes of BelongingTemporal and Spatial AlienationThe ‘Fluids of Destiny:’ Beyond Trench ThinkingGenderLife-stages and life-crisesIdentity Discourses Chapter 7. The Memory of Politics and the Politics of Memory Glossary of Spanish wordsReferences citedNotes

“Berg…offers a fine-grained analysis of the Cuban diaspora in Spain and of the diversity and plasticity of transnational identity. Thoughtfully reported interviews portray respondents who Experience ‘home’ and ‘belonging’--staples of diaspora studies--in very different ways…The roles of race, gender, and class in determining outcomes and attitudes among groups of Cubans who left the island at various times are carefully delineated. Masterfully combining and balancing interviews, narrative, fieldwork reports, and analysis, Berg has written an exemplary study…Highly recommended.”  ·  Choice“Through its sensitive [and well-grounded] analysis of the narratives of Cubans in Spain and their families and friends back in Cuba, the text unravels conflicting memories, contrasting political experiences, and different understandings of nation and belonging…As well as providing a unique and fascinating case study of Cubans in Spain, [the book] makes a highly significant contribution to the study of diasporas through its insights into the complex workings of memory and the way these intersect with politics, history, and individual subjectivities.”  ·  New West Indian Guide“[Berg’s] writing is lucid, and she demonstrates a profound empathy toward the people who became her interlocutors. I congratulate her for offering a poignant contribution to the understanding of how Cubans of the Spanish Diaspora obsess about their lost home, even as the island seems to drift further away with each passing day.”  ·  American Anthropologist“…provides a useful discussion to contextualise recent experiences of migration from the island. The book traces the formation of a diasporic group, which although it emerged in the aftermath of the Revolution, has failed to attract as much interest as the Cuban-Americans.”  ·  Bulletin of Latin American Research“With rich ethnography, convincing analysis, and clear prose, Berg introduces the reader to Cubans in Spain while posing a sharp critique of diaspora studies… Overall, Berg has written a superb book. The ethnography is impressively detailed and far reaching. Berg includes descriptions of Cubans in Spain and anecdotes from fieldwork in Cuba as well, and the result is a complex, nuanced view of Cuba and its diaspora across several generations. Berg offers this historical depth without sacrificing ethnographic richness, which is especially commendable.”  ·  Nordic Journal of Migration Research"Highlighting key generational differences, dynamics and trajectories, Mette Louise Berg’s work adds an exceptionally significant approach to studies on diasporas and transnational migration. Her case study of Cubans in Spain also interestingly reflects deep changes in Cuban society over a number of decades. By way of developing a more comprehensive understanding of these topics, this book is essential reading for students and advanced scholars alike."  ·  Steve Vertovec, Max-Planck-Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity“Mette Louise Berg’s work is a productive, insightful, and timely intervention in the study of the Cuban diaspora and other contemporary transnational movements…an original and substantial contribution to the scholarly literature on migration.”  ·  Jorge Duany, University of Puerto Rico“...well-written and intelligent, and deals with the Cuban diaspora in Spain, about which little is known. The author excellently locates her study within interesting general literature on memory, homelands, nationalism, and diasporas…it is superb.”  ·  Susan Eckstein, Boston University