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LOCAL LEVEL POPULAR SOCIALIST DEVELOPMENT IN HAVANA CUBA: AGRICULTURE, MUSIC, EDUCATION, AND HEALTH. by NICOLE HATTIE Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (Sociology) Acadia University Fall Graduation 2011 © by NICOLE HATTIE, 2011 i This thesis by NICOLE HATTIE was defended successfully in an oral examination on September 9, 2011. The examining committee for the thesis was: ________________________ Dr. Harish Kapoor, Chair ________________________ Dr. Issac Saney, External Reader ________________________ Dr. Barbara Moore, Internal Reader ________________________ Dr. Jim Sacouman, Supervisor _________________________ Dr. Tony Thompson, Acting as Head/Director This thesis is accepted in its present form by the Division of Research and Graduate Studies as satisfying the thesis requirements for the degree Master of Arts (Sociology). …………………………………………. This thesis by NICOLE HATTIE was defended successfully in an oral examination on September 9, 20111 The examining committee for the thesis was: Dr. Harish Kapoor, Chair Dr. Issac Saney, External Reader Dr. Barbara Moore, Internal Reader Dr. Jim Sacouman, Supervisor Dr. Tony Thompson, Acting as Head/Director This thesis is accepted in its present form by the Division of Research and Graduate Studies as satisfying the thesis requirements for the degree Master of Arts (Sociology). ii I, NICOLE HATTIE, grant permission to the University Librarian at Acadia University to reproduce, loan or distribute copies of my thesis in microform, paper or electronic formats on a non-profit basis. I, however, retain the copyright in my thesis. ______________________________ Author ______________________________ Supervisor ______________________________ Date iii TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................ iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................................... v CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ........................................................................ 6 History .................................................................................................................................................... 6 Governmental System ................................................................................................................... 10 Agriculture ......................................................................................................................................... 14 Music .................................................................................................................................................... 17 Education ........................................................................................................................................... 21 Health Care ........................................................................................................................................ 24 CHAPTER THREE: KEY CONCEPTS AND METHODOLOGY .................................................. 28 Bottom up vs. top down ................................................................................................................ 28 Grassroots/ Local Level Activism ............................................................................................. 29 Building Socialism in the 21st century .................................................................................... 31 Methodology ..................................................................................................................................... 33 CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS ............................................................................................................. 36 Bottom Up vs. Top Down ............................................................................................................. 36 Grassroots/ Local Level Activism ............................................................................................. 45 Building Socialism in the 21st Century .................................................................................... 56 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSIONS ..................................................................................................... 69 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................................... 83 Appendix ................................................................................................................................................. 87 Research Summary For Ethical Review ................................................................................. 87 Interview Questions ....................................................................................................................... 89 Acadia University Research Consent Form ........................................................................... 90 iv ABSTRACT At the heart of the Cuban system lies the people by whom and for whom the revolution was born 52 years ago. This thesis examines how Cuban citizens, (with the bulk of the research deriving from citizens of Havana, are working towards real democracy through a participatory system based on equality and equity by involving themselves in grassroots movements. The fundamental key concepts of this thesis are: a) bottom up vs. top down politics; b) grassroots/ local level activism; and c) building socialism in the 21st century, as it pertains to Cuba, and more specifically Havana. Specific examples that are examined under these three key concepts are: agriculture, music, education, as well as the health care system. A large majority of the people throughout Havana have dedicated their lives to the promotion of their community, their state, and their country, fostering the ability of people to contribute to their own as well as others self-emancipation. Cuba would not have achieved the various advances (despite the blockade and the collapse of the Soviet Bloc) had it not been for the citizenry which moves in mass, especially in times of crisis, in order to maintain everything they have dedicated their lives to building. Thus, there is also evidence that it is the people that is the true revolution, and the heart of real democracy in Cuba. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I will never forget, in Jim Sacouman‟s class “Debates in Marxism,” when ten students were asked to vote on whether they thought the world would end with WW3 or if the world would embrace socialism (and, one day, communism). While seven people raised their hand for destruction, three of us raised a strong confident hand for the idea that socialism could be more than just a global vision. I truly believe that the learned greed can be replaced by shared wealth, rather than siphoning it for the use of the few. Thank you to Barbara Moore, Jim Brittain and Jim Sacouman for all their help in my struggle towards the truth, and for making it possible for me to help others struggle towards equality. Above all, it is important to thank the citizens of Cuba, and more specifically Havana for showing me that a better system is possible if you struggle for it. Cuba‟s movement towards real democracy through participatory socialism rooted in equality and solidarity shows that society can counteract the realm of negativity our world is currently entrapped in. While the American government spends billions on counter-revolution each year, the Cuban people invest in solidarity and emancipation. ¡Viva la Revolucion! 1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION In many instances, Cuba, as well as the people residing there, have been portrayed as the enemy through the American government. For example, after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita 1, 500 Cuban doctors volunteered to travel to the U.S.A. in order to help victims. Cuban doctors waited for authorization to travel to the U.S. and consent was never granted (New Economy 2007: 1). Cuban people are not to be seen as traitors fighting for their rights; rather, they are portrayed as people who go against Western „democracy.‟ Cuba, and the Cuban people are intended to be seen as those that disobeyed the rules of capitalism and should, therefore, suffer tremendously (Ludlam 2009: 123; Ridenour 2006: 62). However, after 52 years of the revolution, Cuba has come a long way, despite the plunder of U.S. imperialism (see Espin 2009), the Soviet bloc collapse, as well as the blockade (See Lambie 2010). I intend to argue that there has been and is currently a strong social development of communal control at the local level through grassroots movements, as an integral part of the revolution. The people themselves are taking action in their lives to contribute to the revolution in their own way. Through governance, agriculture, music, education, and the health care system, people themselves are both building a stronger revolutionary vibe in the country, as well as sustaining it. Cuba has suffered many hardships in the past, including food shortages. It is important to note that despite food shortages, “Cuba is one of the few countries in the world that sees food as a human right” (Murphy

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