Cuba Studies
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CUBA STUDIES 2014 – 2019 Since its founding in 1999, the Cuba Studies Program (CSP) has sought to facilitate the research and study of Cuba by Harvard faculty and students across the University. To advance this objective, the CSP has developed and consolidated scientific and scholarly exchanges and other forms of academic cooperation with our counterparts among Cuban scholars, scientists, artists, and other intellectuals. Selectively and only when appropriate, the CSP has also established institutional ties to promote such research and study. Between 2014 and 2019, the CSP continued a variety of initiatives, the highlights of which are listed in this booklet. CONTENTS HARVARD UNIVERSITY AND CUBA...................................................................................................................1 CUBA STUDIES PROGRAM AT DRCLAS .........................................................................................................3 HARVARD AND CUBA'S MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION SIGN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING............................................................................................5 SEMINAR SERIES.............................................................................................................................................................6 SUPPORT OF CUBAN ARTS.....................................................................................................................................9 LOS CUBANOS DE HARVARD DOCUMENTARY..............................................................................................................................................................11 WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES................................................................................................................12 PUBLICATIONS.................................................................................................................................................................13 CUBA IN THE HARVARD LIBRARY.....................................................................................................................15 CUBA STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM...................................................................................................................17 CUBAN VISITING SCHOLARS...............................................................................................................................19 PEOPLE.................................................................................................................................................................................20 FINANCIAL SUPPORT................................................................................................................................................20 HARVARD UNIVERSITY AND CUBA Harvard University’s relationship with Harvard’s long-standing interest in Cuba stretches back well over a hundred years. Cuba is reflected in the number of faculty with At the end of the nineteenth century, Harvard research projects in Cuba, in the comparatively scholars began conducting studies at the Har- large number of courses that treat Cuban issues, vard Botanical Station for Tropical Research in and in the University’s extensive library and Cienfuegos, Cuba. The Botanical Station eventu- museum holdings of Cuban materials. For ally became part of Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum instance, the José Augusto Escoto Cuban history in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. and literature collection at Houghton Library In 1900, more than a thousand Cuban contains valuable primary documents. Likewise, teachers traveled to Harvard for training in the the collections of the Museum of Comparative American education system in the midst of the Zoology reflect a sustained interest in the study U.S. occupation of the island. Recently, the Cuba of Cuban flora and fauna. Studies Program sponsored the documentary Currently, the number of faculty and The Harvard Cubans to highlight this important students teaching and studying topics related to moment in the history of the relationship be- Cuba includes the humanities, social sciences, tween Cuba and Harvard specifically, and Cuba natural sciences, and the arts, and an interest in and the United States in general. research related to Cuba can be found in almost Following these beginnings, Harvard all divisions of the university, including the has supported research and teaching on Cuba Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the professional that has grown over the course of the twentieth schools of Business, Design, Divinity, Education, century and into the twenty-first. Government, Law, Medicine, and Public Health. Harvard Jazz Bands students joined the Orquesta Típica Miguel Failde on stage during their 2017 trip to Cuba, supported by the Cuba Studies Program and led by their director, Yosvany Terry. 1 2 CUBA STUDIES PROGRAM AT DRCLAS The Center’s program of scholarly collaboration visiting scholars, film screenings, and major and exchanges with Cuba has sought to accom- public events with visiting Cuban intellectuals plish three important goals: and public figures. DRCLAS has also hosted a works-in-progress workshop for Harvard (a) to facilitate research on Cuba and the undergraduate and graduate students working development of academic relationships in Cuba on theses and dissertations related to Cuba. by Harvard faculty and students; (b) to assist Harvard's educational and cultural THE CUBA STUDIES PROGRAM AT THE programs in Cuba; and, DAVID ROCKEFELLER CENTER FOR LATIN (c) to strengthen institutional ties between AMERICAN STUDIES Harvard and Cuban academic, scientific and research institutions through visiting faculty Since its inception in 1999, the Cuba Studies and researchers as well as jointly organized Program at the David Rockefeller Center for workshops and conferences. Latin American Studies has evolved into one of the most extensive and diverse ventures of its Aiming to strengthen and deepen initiatives kind. Unlike any other program in the United in a broad range of disciplines, a cornerstone States, the program caters to scholars from of the Program’s work has been to build links areas across the wide spectrum of academic between research centers in Cuba and Harvard. fields, namely the social sciences, history, The Program has worked with several Cuban environment, education, chemistry, public academic and scientific institutions, including health and medical sciences, public policy, the Instituto Juan Marinello, Revista Temas, the arts and humanities, religion, library the research institutes of the University of exchange and urban planning. Components of Havana, the Center for the Sociological and these collaborations have included workshops Psychological Studies (CIPS), the Jardín and symposia in Cuba and other countries, Botánico de Cienfuegos, and the José Martí the publication of co-edited volumes, and National Library. As part of these endeavors, research stays by Cuban scholars at Harvard. each year during the last decade, many Harvard Guided by the oversight and leadership of faculty and students have traveled to Cuba for the Harvard University-wide Cuba Studies research or other educational activities. faculty committee, the Program’s work has been At Harvard, DRCLAS has sponsored sustained with generous support from Atlantic hundreds of public events on issues and research Philanthropies, the Ford Foundation, the Open related to Cuba. The events have included Society Foundation, and the members of the seminars with Harvard faculty and Cuban CSP Advisory Group. 3 4 HARVARD AND CUBA'S MINISTRY OF EDUCATION SIGNED A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING On December 16th, and former Cuba Studies David Rockefeller Center for 2017, a memorandum of Program Co-Chair Dr. Jorge Latin American Studies as understanding was signed Domínguez, and former the facilitator of the different in Havana between Harvard Associate Director of Academic forms of cooperation between University and the Ministry Programs Erin Goodman. The Harvard and Cuban higher of Higher Education (MES) signing was widely covered in education institutions. to expand forms of mutual the Cuban and international cooperation and pursue their media. Possible areas of collaboration mutual academic and research include exchange programs interests. Harvard Vice Provost Under the agreement, the involving undergraduate of International AffairsMark C. MES now serves as a host for and graduate students and Elliott and MES Vice Minister Harvard faculty, students and professors for academic and Aurora Fernández were at the scholars who wish to conduct research collaboration. Other head of the signing. research or study in Cuba. forms of cooperation involve In turn, Harvard University training and improvement in Also present were several welcomes Cuban graduate academic programs on areas of important Cuban officials, such students who are admitted mutual interest, and exploring as Minister of Higher Education to degree programs through topics for joint research projects. José Ramón Saborido Loidi Harvard’s normal admissions Collaborative relationships and Josefina Vidal, director procedures. It also welcomes between Harvard and Cuban general of the U.S. Division in Cuban scholars who are universities in undergraduate the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. accepted as visiting researchers higher education, postgraduate or visiting professors under education, and scientific From Harvard University, Harvard’s normal procedures research, might include the signing was attended by for accepting visiting modalities