This dissertation examines the use of urban space in Cuban cultural production after 1990; the year Fidel Castro announced the
beginning of the crisis known as "Special Period in Times of Peace". It was a period that brought the most dramatic changes in Cuban
society after the sixties, provoking a decentralization of power in many sectors. I argue in this thesis that there is also a
decentralization in the use of urban space, which reflects the collective disenchantment in the revolutionary project. In the literary and
cinematographic works studied, raging from 1991 to 2014, the characters live in Havana city and inscribe meanings through their spatial
practices. These spaces also influence the state of mind and actions of the characters, reinforcing the interconnection between the
spatial, the temporal and the social dimensions. Using a spatial theoretical framework, within the field of cultural studies, the research
is supported by the conceptualization of social space developed by Henri Lefebvre, of heterotopia by Michel Foucault, and the analysis of
the use of urban space developed by Michel de Certeau. Many of the fictional works of the period show characters that do not have a
feeling of belonging to a nation, who interact with the city from marginal spaces, such as rooftops and the limits with the sea. My
objective is to examine the use, function and effect that these spaces of alterity have on their users, and their significance for the
analysis of the Cuban society. The dissertation has been divided as follows: introduction, three chapters—each dedicated to spaces of
alterity that share certain characteristics—, and conclusion. The first chapter explores the overwhelming presence of rooftops in the
fictional works of post-Soviet Cuba; these are spaces that rise over the city and allow a feeling of freedom, and the possibility to
lighten the weight of daily life. The second chapter proposes to see two of these spaces as heterotopias of accumulation of time,
emphasizing an alternative order that reveals the contradictions of the spaces outside. In these heterotopias, the characters reconstruct
anOther history, anOther national identity. In chapter three I analyze the space where the city meets the sea, particularly the area of
Havana's famous seafront, el Malecón. Despite being a public and heterogeneous space, this frontier is also used by the characters to
distance themselves from the official center, and to find a space of escape, refuge and rebirth. At first, these spaces of alterity are
used as a means to escape; however, they also instill a liberating feeling, thus becoming spaces where the characters can look into
themselves and recover their lost hopes. The possibility for a re-imagination of the self and the nation only happens in these spaces,
suggesting that the official center is in a standstill. Therefore, this research shows the need to include spatial analysis in the study
of Cuban society, and reveals the decentralization of space in post-Soviet Havana, which is interconnected with the ideological
disenchantment of the nineties. Additionally, some of the works propose a redefinition of the concept of national identity that is not
necessarily tied to the revolutionary project. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2015. / December 3, 2015. / Cuba, Havana, ideology, national identity, spatial studies, urban spaces / Includes bibliographical references. / Roberto G. Fernández, Professor Directing Dissertation; Virgil Suárez, University Representative;
Delia Poey, Committee Member; José Gomáriz, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_360504 |
| Contributors | Cruz García, Liset (authoraut), Fernández, Roberto G. (professor directing dissertation), Suárez, Virgil (university representative), Poey, Delia (committee member), Gomariz, José (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Arts and Sciences (degree granting college), Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics (degree granting department) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | Spanish, Spanish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource (161 pages), computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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