A Space in Which to Breathe : Civil Society and the State in Cuba: The Transformation of a Relationship?

Marín-Dogan, Michelle Ana (2004) A Space in Which to Breathe : Civil Society and the State in Cuba: The Transformation of a Relationship? Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

Preview

PDF Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

State-civil society relations represent a major challenge for Cuba, yet relatively few studies consider their dynamics. Those that do, tend to approach the subject either using stereotypes based on the recent experiences of 'regime transition' in Eastern Europe, or in ways that reinforce the ideological positioning which has characterised studies of the Cuban Revolution. In contrast, this research analyses the transformations in the relationship between civil society and the state during Cuba's post-1990 'Special Period' using a fresh conceptual and methodological approach.

Drawing on a Gramscian interpretation of state-civil society relations for inspiration, a conceptual framework has been developed for the purpose of analysing the case. In order to appreciate the historical evolution of this relationship, the framework has been applied to the first three decades of the Revolution, a period in Cuba's history which has not conventionally been analysed using this optic, but one that holds the key to the changes undergone by the Cuban state and civil society during the 1990s. For rather than explaining these changes with reference solely to Cuba's new economic circumstances, this study suggests that a more coherent understanding requires the analysis of underlying political factors. Of these factors, the historical struggle for political hegemony, both between social classes within Cuba and between Cuba and the United States, is identified as the most influential. Such struggles have variously created or constrained the spaces available for Cuba as a counter-hegemonic alternative within the world system, and for potentially counter-hegemonic alternatives within Cuba. It is argued that the dynamics of state-civil society relations and struggles for political hegemony are two processes which simultaneously shape each other and as such are inextricably interrelated.

Given the notable absence of Cuban voices from many externally-generated studies, it has been an objective of this research to incorporate within the analysis the perceptions of key stakeholders from the Cuban state and civil society. Social research methods including semi-structured interviews and participant observations were used during fieldwork on the island in 1999 and 2003 in order to access a broad spectrum of opinions within and across stakeholder groups. It has been on the basis of data generated during this empirical research that the conclusion that there has been a qualitative transformation in state-civil society relations during the Special Period has been reached.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Global Development (formerly School of International Development)
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	07 Apr 2025 11:35
Last Modified:	07 Apr 2025 11:35
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/98974
DOI:

Downloads

Actions (login required)

View Item