This anthology brings together the best recent scholarship and writing on Cuban politics, economics, foreign relations, society, and culture in the post-Soviet era, which Cubans call the Special Period. Ideally suited for students and general readers seeking to understand contemporary Cuba, the book includes a substantive introduction setting the historical context, as well as part introductions and a chronology.

Introduction: History as Prologue: Cuba before the Special Period	p. 1
The Revolutionary and Political Content of Fidel Castro's Charismatic Authority	p. 17
July 26. History Absolved Him. Now What?	p. 41
"The Cuban Nation's Single Party": The Communist Party of Cuba Faces the Future	p. 50
Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces: Last Bulwark of the State! Last Bulwark of the Revolution?	p. 63
On Cuban Democracy: Cuba and the Democratic Culture	p. 74
Successes and Failures of a Decentralizing Experience: Cuba's Local Governments	p. 79
Society, Civil Society, and the State: An Uneasy Three-Way Affair	p. 92
Cuba Poll: The Findings	p. 101
Cuba's Catholic Dissident: The Saga of Oswaldo Paya	p. 106
Development as an Unfinished Affair: Cuba after the "Great Adjustment" of the 1990s	p. 117
The Cuban Economy: Amid Economic Stagnation and Reversal of Reforms	p. 128
Cutting Losses: Cuba Downsizes Its Sugar Industry	p. 136
The Political Economy of Leisure	p. 146
Going against the Grain: Agricultural Crisis and Transformation	p. 156
Vale Todo: In Cuba's Paladares, Everything Is Prohibited but Anything Goes	p. 168
Dollarization and Its Discontents in the Post-Soviet Era	p. 179
Neoliberalism, Global Inequality, and Irreparable Destruction of Our Natural Habitat: Message to the 11th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development	p. 199
Cuba and the Pax Americana	p. 203
Cuba's Counter-Hegemonic Strategy	p. 212
Like Sisyphus's Stone: U.S.-Cuban Relations in the Aftermath of September 11, 2001	p. 217
Advancing the Day When Cuba Will Be Free	p. 229
Fidel's Final Victory	p. 235
Wanted: A Logical Cuba Policy	p. 244
The Cuban Five and the U.S. War against Terror	p. 249
The European Union's Perception of Cuba: From Frustration to Irritation	p. 254
Sleeping with an Elephant	p. 262
Cuban Americans and Their Transnational Ties	p. 267
In the Shadow of Plenty, Cuba Copes with a Crippled Health Care System	p. 281
Social Impact of the Economic Measures	p. 285
Cuban Youth: Aspirations, Social Perceptions, and Identity	p. 292
The Cuban Education System: Lessons and Dilemmas	p. 299
Early Childhood Education in Revolutionary Cuba during the Special Period	p. 302
Heroines of the Special Period	p. 309
The Status of Cuban Women: From Economically Dependent to Independent	p. 311
Recreating Racism: Race and Discrimination in Cuba's Special Period	p. 316
The Status of Gays in Cuba: Myth and Reality	p. 326
Civil Society and Religion in Cuba: Past, Present, and Future A1 Margaret E. Crahan	p. 330
There Is No Homeland Without Virtue	p. 336
A Black Woman from Cuba, That's All: An Interview with Nancy Morejon	p. 344
Living and Creating in Cuba: Risks and Challenges	p. 348
Visions of Dollars Dance before Cuban Artists' Eyes	p. 355
Ballet: Split with Cuba Still Brings Pain	p. 358
Cuban Cinema	p. 360
Two Songs	p. 365
From the Heart of Cuba, a Love Song for the Crescent City	p. 367
Rap and Revolution: Hip-Hop Comes to Cuba	p. 369
Home-Grown Virtuosos	p. 373
The Dual Role of Sports	p. 379
The Cuban Media	p. 386
Chronology of the "Special Period," 1986-2006	p. 393
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.