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Lohmeier, Christine (2011) Migrant Communication: Cuban-Americans and the Media in Miami, FL. Phd Thesis

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Lohmeier, Christine (2011) Migrant Communication: Cuban-Americans and the Media in Miami, FL. Phd Thesis Lohmeier, Christine (2011) Migrant communication: Cuban-Americans and the media in Miami, FL. PhD thesis. https://theses.gla.ac.uk/2698/ Copyright and moral rights for this work are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This work cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Enlighten: Theses https://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] Migrant Communication: Cuban-Americans and the media in Miami, FL Christine Lohmeier Diplom-Kulturwirtin (Univ.) M.Sc. Media Research A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Centre for Cultural Policy Research School of Culture and Creative Arts University of Glasgow Glasgow G12 8QQ June 2011 © Christine Lohmeier, 2011 Abstract This thesis examines an exile community‘s relation to media. In particular, it focuses on the case of the Cuban-American community and English- as well as Spanish-language media based in Miami, FL. Following the revolution under Fidel Castro in 1959, Miami developed into the capital of the Cuban exile. Over the past decades, the Cuban-American community formed a nucleus which attracted further migration from South America and the Caribbean. The incoming migrants contributed to turning Miami into a flourishing economic urban space. Furthermore, the Cuban-American community was a vital player in creating a vibrant media scene. This thesis is situated in the context of ongoing debates on diasporic communities, notions of exile and liminality and theories addressing the tensions between the local, the national and the transnational. Empirical data for this project has been gathered in three periods of field work in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Journalists, media executives and active members of the Cuban-American community were targeted as key informants in the field. This thesis argues that the locale of a migrant community is of as much significance as national and transnational ambitions. The tensions between and imbrications of the local, national and transnational are evident in the media‘s content, aim and scope. By mapping Miami as a place and social space, relations between the Cuban-American and other communities are discussed in detail. The heart of the thesis contains an in-depth analysis of the different media, i.e. the press, radio, television, and the internet. The chapters explore how these media have interacted with early Cuban migrants as well as their relationship to the Cuban- American community today. The findings point towards diverse and complex patterns. Time of migration, cultural background and age are significant factors on an individual‘s approach to certain media. In turn, some media outlets clearly cater for specific segments of the community. A key point is that the media‘s role in relation to the Cuban-American community is a balance act of local, national and transnational remits. The research contributes to debates on media, migration and communication research. It is the first comprehensive study of the Cuban-American community and their relationship to Miami-based media. Secondly, it takes a holistic view of the broader media ecology. The analysis is informed by the wider historical context. It encompasses detailed analysis of a variety of media and how these are interlinked. Moreover, this thesis employs an innovative research methodology in that it takes an etic, non-mediacentric approach to researching the media of a diasporic group. Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................. 7 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 8 Research Questions .............................................................................................................. 9 Historical background ........................................................................................................ 10 Media in Cuba .................................................................................................................... 14 Structure of the thesis ......................................................................................................... 16 1. The Context of Research ................................................................................................. 21 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 21 Migrants, diasporas and the exilic experience ................................................................... 21 Framing diasporas .......................................................................................................... 22 Exile and liminality ........................................................................................................ 29 Diaspora and exile .......................................................................................................... 33 Theoretical concepts........................................................................................................... 34 Migrants, (nation-)states and cosmopolitanism ............................................................. 34 Understanding globalisation through scapes ................................................................. 36 Mobility and space ......................................................................................................... 38 Contesting scapes and mobility ..................................................................................... 39 Previous empirical case studies .......................................................................................... 41 Latinos/as, Hispanics, Cuban-Americans and Miami ........................................................ 43 Constructed belongings .................................................................................................. 43 On Miami and Cuban-Americans .................................................................................. 44 Concluding remarks ........................................................................................................... 50 2. Going to Miami, FL: Reflections on Methodology and the Research Experience ..... 53 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 53 Underlying conceptualisations of media and journalism ................................................... 54 Choice of research methods ............................................................................................... 56 Fieldwork in Miami ........................................................................................................... 57 First encounters .............................................................................................................. 59 Sensationalism, romanticised coverage and reflexivity ................................................. 60 Researching beyond the media....................................................................................... 62 Interviewing academics .................................................................................................. 63 The Cuban Heritage Collection ...................................................................................... 64 Field dynamics ............................................................................................................... 65 Evolving relations in and to the field ............................................................................. 68 Data analysis ...................................................................................................................... 70 Concluding remarks ........................................................................................................... 72 3. Place and Space: Miami – Havana USA? ...................................................................... 77 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 77 Notions of place, space and memory ................................................................................. 77 The choice of place ........................................................................................................ 78 Social and spatial aspects of remembering .................................................................... 79 The city – embedded in national structures.................................................................... 81 The exilic experience ......................................................................................................... 83 Feelings of guilt and questions of Cuban unity .................................................................. 84 The myth of the historic exiles ........................................................................................... 86 The Lost City – fictitious reality made in Hollywood .................................................... 88 Community relations
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