New Directions in Cuban Studies Conference

Join us for the sixth “New Directions in Cuban Studies” conference in the Roberto C. Goizueta Pavilion at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.

“New Directions” brings together advanced graduate students and emerging and early-career scholars from across disciplines to explore new approaches to the study of Cuba’s history, culture, politics, economy, and global connections. The conference offers an opportunity to engage with fresh research, diverse methodologies, and varying perspectives that deepen our understanding of Cuba and Cuban communities worldwide.

The conference keynote address, “Getting Beyond the Balancing Act: Cuban Studies Then and Now,” will be delivered by Lillian Guerra, Ph.D., professor of Cuban and Caribbean history at the University of Florida and co-editor of the journal Cuban Studies. The author of five books, Guerra will draw on her recent scholarship and oral history interviews to reflect on the evolution of Cuban studies, the intellectual and political debates that have shaped the field, and the challenges and possibilities facing Cuba and Cuban communities worldwide at a time of profound uncertainty.

“New Directions” is co-presented by the University of Miami’s Cuban Heritage Collection at the Libraries and the Program in Cuban Studies at the College of Arts and Sciences.

The Goizueta Foundation generously funds this program. Additional support for the conference is provided by the University of Miami’s Wilbur L. and Jean L. Morrison Endowment for Cuban Studies and Emilio Bacardí Moreau Chair in Cuban and Cuban-American Studies.

Please note that the conference will be bilingual, with presentations and discussions held in English and Spanish.

Conference Schedule

To view the schedule for this conference, please visit our website.

About the Keynote Speaker

Lillian Guerra, Ph.D., has been a scholar of Cuban and Caribbean history since 1998 when she published her first monograph, “Popular Expression and National Identity in Puerto Rico.” In addition to academic articles, intellectual essays, and creative works of Spanish poetry and short stories, Guerra is the author of four books of Cuban history, including a “trilogy” of volumes on the Cuban Revolution from its origins in 1940s politics through the height of Soviet-style Communism in the 1980s.

Raised in Kansas and Miami, Guerra has been researching and traveling to Cuba since 1995 when she first visited and met dozens of close relatives. She is a co-editor with Michael Bustamante and Jennifer Lambe of Cuban Studies, the oldest academic journal dedicated to Cuba, and editor of “Caribbean Crossroads,” a book series published by the University of Florida Press. Since 2022, she also directs content for an online archive of author interviews, relics, and photographs taken in Cuba. Read more »

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Questions?

Please contact Annie Sansone-Martínez, academic and community programs manager for the Cuban Heritage Collection, at chc@miami.edu or 305-284-4900.