The Immigrant Communities of Florida and José Martí in Cuban Independence and the Dawn of the American Century
FAIN: EH-288012-22
University of Tampa (Tampa, FL 33606-1450)
James Joseph Lopez (Project Director: February 2022 to present)
Denis Alberto Rey (Co Project Director: February 2022 to present)
A four-week residential institute for 30 higher education faculty on José Martí (1853 - 1895) and the immigrant communities of Florida.
This 4-week Level II Institute will study the rise of the U.S. as a global hegemonic power as a consequence of its military intervention in Cuba’s War of Independence (1898) from the perspective of the Cuban émigré communities of Florida, who, from their late-19th century cigar-manufacturing enclaves in Key West, Ybor City, and West Tampa, played a critical role in the anti-colonial struggle against Spain. These communities constitute an extraordinary chrysalis in which to observe and understand the complex cultural and political evolution of the U.S. at the dawn of what is often referred to as “the American century.” The close study of this seminal period from the perspective of the working class immigrants who organized, financed, and in many cases fought and died for a patriotic ideal that they helped inspire and formulate by their example, will enrich any cross-cultural, multidisciplinary approach to the teaching of U.S. History.
Associated Products
Tears and Flowers: A Poet of Migration in Old Key West (Book)
Title: Tears and Flowers: A Poet of Migration in Old Key West
Author: Feliciano Castro
Editor: Rhi Johnson
Editor: Joy Castro
Abstract: This is a collection of poetry written by a Cuban immigrant and political activist in turn of the century Key West, which was uncovered, translated and annotated by 2019 NEH Summer Institute Participants Joy Castro and Rhi Johnson.
Year: 2024
Publisher: University of Florida Press
Type: Edited Volume
Type: Translation
ISBN: 9780813080703
Translator: Rhi Johnson
Copy sent to NEH?: No
A Diaspora of Ideas: Social and Political Activism of Cuban Intellectuals and Cigar Makers in Florida since the Late Nineteenth Century (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: A Diaspora of Ideas: Social and Political Activism of Cuban Intellectuals and Cigar Makers in Florida since the Late Nineteenth Century
Author: Daniel Pedreira
Author: James Lopez
Author: Ricardo Pelegrin-Taboada
Author: Lauren Peña
Abstract: During June and July of 2023, the University of Tampa hosted a National Endowment for Humanities Summer Institute named “The Immigrant Communities of Florida and José Martí in Cuban Independence at the Dawn of the American Century.” The institute resulted in various research and teaching projects involving José Martí and the Cuban migration that documented the transit of people and ideas between Havana, Tampa and Key West since the late 19th century. This panel brings to the 14th Conference on Cuban and Cuban American Studies four of these projects that explore the presence of Cuban cigar makers, politicians, intellectuals and lawyers in Key West and Tampa, and highlight how they extended to the migrant communities their social and political ideas from the island. Pedreira traces the Carbonell family’s involvement in Cuban politics and culture by analyzing their role as promoters of the independence in Tampa, and the public roles they held in Cuba following independence in 1902. Pelegrin examines the presence of Cuban lawyers as part of the diaspora in Florida and uses the example of Wenceslao Galvez and his work to illustrate their roles as intellectuals, political activists and journalists. Peña’s digital humanities project, "Ephemeral Collections," delves into cigar labels to unveil and visualize cultural and intellectual connections between Cuba and its diaspora in Texas, Florida, and Spain during the War of 1898. Finally, Solomon analyzes the development of the Cuban/queer and Cuban-queer community in Key West, through two works by Reinaldo Arenas, "End of a Story" and "The Flight," and also identifying interesting links with José Martí. Through these four presentations, this panel provides new experiences and connections from social, political and intellectual perspectives between Cubans and their diaspora in Florida since the late nineteenth century.
Date: 2/15/2024
Conference Name: 14th Cuban Research Institute Conference on Cuban and Cuban American Studies (Florida International University, February 15-16, 2024)
Teaching José Martí in the U.S. (Strategies and Practice) (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Teaching José Martí in the U.S. (Strategies and Practice)
Author: James Lopez
Author: Denis Rey
Author: Louis Esparza
Author: Genny Ballard
Author: Marilyn Miller
Author: Alvaro Kaempfer
Author: Ricardo Pelegrin-Taboada
Author: Arisbel Lopez
Author: Heather Peterson
Author: Wladimir Marquez
Author: Stephanie Contreras
Abstract: This proposed Workshop is the product of the 2019 and 2023 NEH Summer Institutes for Higher Education Faculty, "José Martí and the Immigrant Communities of Florida in Cuban Independence and the Dawn of the American Century" held at the University of Tampa. As part of this institute a number of participating faculty developed innovative and effective course syllabi and modules for the teaching of José Martí in the context of courses in Literature, U.S. and Latin American History, Latino/a Studies, Spanish and other related disciplines. José Martí is a pivotal figure not only in Cuban (and Latin American) history and literature, but also in understanding a transformational moment in the history of the United States, where he lived and worked for 15 years and stands out as one of the most insightful and original chroniclers of the Gilded Age. This interdisciplinary workshop will provide a unique opportunity for faculty to share their approach to teaching the life and work of this fascinating writer and revolutionary to college students in the U.S. The life and work of José Martí continues to be remarkably relevant today in the understanding of the complex historical relationship between the U.S., Cuba, Latin America, and the Global North and South.
Date: 06/14/2024
Conference Name: LASA2024 Congress of the Latin American Studies Association: Reaction and Resistance: Imagining Possible Futures in the Americas (Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia, June 12-15, 2024)
Exploring Cross-Cultural Approaches in U.S. History and Beyond: Insights from the 2023 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Institute "The Immigrant Communities of Florida and José Martí in Cuban Independence and the Dawn of the American Cen (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Exploring Cross-Cultural Approaches in U.S. History and Beyond: Insights from the 2023 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Institute "The Immigrant Communities of Florida and José Martí in Cuban Independence and the Dawn of the American Cen
Author: Daniel Pedreira
Author: Steven Dike
Author: Stephanie Contreras
Author: Maria-Teresa Sanhueza
Abstract: All the members of this panel participated in the 2023 NEH Summer Institute for Higher Education Faculty, generously supported by the Democracy Demands Wisdom program. Hosted by the Center for José Martí Studies Affiliate at the University of Tampa, the event revolved around the theme "The Immigrant Communities of Florida and José Martí in Cuban Independence and the Dawn of the American Century." The institute promoted cross-cultural teaching and research approaches across various academic disciplines, including United States history, international relations, immigration studies, race and ethnicity studies, Latinx and Caribbean/Cuban studies, and Hispanic languages and cultures. Each presentation of this panel evolved from projects developed throughout the institute.
Date: 4/6/2024
Conference Name: 71st Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Council of Latin American Studies
Elation or Enervation? Evaluating Emotion in Martí’s Messages, Memos, and Missives (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Elation or Enervation? Evaluating Emotion in Martí’s Messages, Memos, and Missives
Author: James Lopez
Author: Denis Rey
Abstract: Co-directors of the CJMSA will present the results of the application of Language Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software to a corpus of over 100 hundred articles from the Cuban emigre press of Tampa and Key West in the late 19th century. This research arose from the incorporation of digital humanities methodologies in our 2023 NEH Summer Institute.
Date: 4/26/2024
Conference Name: XVII Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage Conference: The Right to Write, Speak and Be in Times of Banning, Censorship and Persecution (University of Houston-Downtown, Houston, Texas, April 25-27, 2024)