Pérez analyzes the dominant images and their political effectiveness as they have persisted and changed since the early nineteenth century. Drawing on texts and visual images produced by Americans ranging from government officials, policy makers, and journalists to travelers, tourists, poets, and lyricists, Pérez argues that metaphor was central to the U.S. imperial project as a way of transforming the pursuit of national self-interest into the lofty, disinterested purpose of moral duty. With particular focus on the pivotal eras of the war of 1898 and the 1959 Cuban revolution, Pérez demonstrates that these descriptions served the foreign policy interests of the United States. As charged and coded modes of persuasion and mediation, these images sanctioned and sustained the moral logic of U.S. power over Cuba. Pérez further argues that the metaphors in service to America's imperial impulses over Cuba were subsequently projected over the world at large.
Cuba in the American Imagination
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Book Description
For more than two hundred often turbulent years, Americans have imagined and described Cuba and its relationship to the United States by conjuring up a variety of striking images—Cuba as a woman, a neighbor, a ripe fruit, a child learning to ride a bicycle. One of the foremost historians of Cuba, Louis A. Pérez Jr. offers a revealing history of these metaphorical and depictive motifs and discovers the powerful motives behind such characterizations of the island.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"[This] book needs to be read not only by scholars of U.S.-Cuban relations, but by anyone interested in the self-constructions of the United States."
-New West Indian Guide
"Instructive on imperial-colonial relationships as well as connections between the past and the present. Instructors at all levels will appreciate the breadth of editorial cartoons that Perez provides. . . . One cannot read this work without being aware of the eerie parallels between the American-Cuban experience and that of America's recent role in the war in Iraq; this alone will make Perez's work of interest to many historians today."
-Canadian Journal of History
"Quoting both U.S. political leaders and the popular press [and] reproducing many period cartoons, Pérez demonstrates that the Cuba that took shape in the American imagination beginning in the early nineteenth century was constructed around metaphors of proximity, neighborhood, and racialism."
--Latin American Research Review
"In Cuba and the American Imagination, Louis A. Pérez Jr. adds to his impressive oeuvre on US-Cuba relations in the twentieth century. . . . Compelling. . . . As the potential for change and dialogue between the United States and Cuba appears viable for the first time in decades, Perez's study remains prescient. . . . Perez's argument that metaphors matter and demonstrate hierarchies of power is convincing."
-EIAL: Estudios Interdisciplinarios de America Latina y el Caribe
"An indispensable study of U.S. policy towards Cuba. . . . A necessary preface for all other analyses of the subject."
-Diplomatic History Review
"Perez breaks important new ground by exploring the singular influence of metaphor--linguistic constructions that located US-Cuban relations within the norms of everyday life in US domestic culture. . . . Perez's approach is interdisciplinary and erudite."
-Dennis Merrill, H-Diplo Roundtable Reviews
"Challenging, insightful, and comprehensive. . . . Perez is arguably the most original and competent scholar of Cuban history in the United States. His book has the potential to be an epoch-changing work."
-Thomas Schoonover, H-Diplo Roundtable Reviews
"The writing is elegant and free of jargon. . . . Anyone interested in self-justifying narratives of empire and especially the place of metaphor in shaping those narratives, should read this seminal contribution to inter-American cultural history. "
-The Americas
"Brilliant. . . . Perez's study--the latest in a series of perceptive books on US-Cuba relations by this prolific historian--illustrate[s] how an avid US self-interest was transformed into selfless moral enactment."
-The Nation
"Perez draws on politicians' speeches, newspaper editorials and comic strips published over the century and a half before the revolution to show that Cubans were consistently represented not as agents of their own destiny but as innocent victims."
-London Review of Books
"A quietly ferocious critique of US foreign policy as seen through the lens of Cuban-US relations."
-Virginia Quarterly Review
"A worthy addition to the award-winning oeuvre of Perez. . . . Will attract a broad readership of those interested in foreign policy, American studies, and Latin American Studies."
-Clio
"Brilliant. . . . Illustrate[s] how an avid US self-interest was transformed into selfless moral enactment."
-The Nation
"A pivotal book, one making an important tie between social psychology and historical scholarship. . . . Well written and organized. . . . Not only a Latin Americanist but any historical scholar would benefit greatly in reading this book."
-Fides et Historia
"Adds to Perez's already impressive body of writing on U.S.-Cuban relations. Those new to his work will be in awe of his deep knowledge of the topic and subtle command of the material. We longtime admirers meanwhile will be reminded why he stands as a doyen of the field."
-Journal of American History
"This is exactly the kind of book policymakers and the chattering classes ought to be reading--something beyond the ignorant regurgitations of past thinking."
-Our Man in Boston
A Nota Bene selection of The Chronicle of Higher Education
"Argues that Cuba was a laboratory of American imperialism. . . . Skillfully analyses how the metaphor of neighbour and neighbourhood was employed to justify U.S. intervention in Cuba in the late 1890s. . . . Includes a remarkable number of pictorial descriptions of Cuba from a wide range of American newspapers and magazines."
-Times Literary Supplement
"In a thought-provoking conclusion, Pérez describes how arrogant and infantilizing metaphors from the 19th century continue to shape American policy toward Cuba."
-The Chronicle of Higher Education
"[An] excellent and highly recommended study. . . . One of the most important contributions to the debate about US-Cuban relations. . . . Should be required reading for policymakers, Latin Americanists, and Cuban exiles everywhere."
-Latin American Review of Books
-New West Indian Guide
"Instructive on imperial-colonial relationships as well as connections between the past and the present. Instructors at all levels will appreciate the breadth of editorial cartoons that Perez provides. . . . One cannot read this work without being aware of the eerie parallels between the American-Cuban experience and that of America's recent role in the war in Iraq; this alone will make Perez's work of interest to many historians today."
-Canadian Journal of History
"Quoting both U.S. political leaders and the popular press [and] reproducing many period cartoons, Pérez demonstrates that the Cuba that took shape in the American imagination beginning in the early nineteenth century was constructed around metaphors of proximity, neighborhood, and racialism."
--Latin American Research Review
"In Cuba and the American Imagination, Louis A. Pérez Jr. adds to his impressive oeuvre on US-Cuba relations in the twentieth century. . . . Compelling. . . . As the potential for change and dialogue between the United States and Cuba appears viable for the first time in decades, Perez's study remains prescient. . . . Perez's argument that metaphors matter and demonstrate hierarchies of power is convincing."
-EIAL: Estudios Interdisciplinarios de America Latina y el Caribe
"An indispensable study of U.S. policy towards Cuba. . . . A necessary preface for all other analyses of the subject."
-Diplomatic History Review
"Perez breaks important new ground by exploring the singular influence of metaphor--linguistic constructions that located US-Cuban relations within the norms of everyday life in US domestic culture. . . . Perez's approach is interdisciplinary and erudite."
-Dennis Merrill, H-Diplo Roundtable Reviews
"Challenging, insightful, and comprehensive. . . . Perez is arguably the most original and competent scholar of Cuban history in the United States. His book has the potential to be an epoch-changing work."
-Thomas Schoonover, H-Diplo Roundtable Reviews
"The writing is elegant and free of jargon. . . . Anyone interested in self-justifying narratives of empire and especially the place of metaphor in shaping those narratives, should read this seminal contribution to inter-American cultural history. "
-The Americas
"Brilliant. . . . Perez's study--the latest in a series of perceptive books on US-Cuba relations by this prolific historian--illustrate[s] how an avid US self-interest was transformed into selfless moral enactment."
-The Nation
"Perez draws on politicians' speeches, newspaper editorials and comic strips published over the century and a half before the revolution to show that Cubans were consistently represented not as agents of their own destiny but as innocent victims."
-London Review of Books
"A quietly ferocious critique of US foreign policy as seen through the lens of Cuban-US relations."
-Virginia Quarterly Review
"A worthy addition to the award-winning oeuvre of Perez. . . . Will attract a broad readership of those interested in foreign policy, American studies, and Latin American Studies."
-Clio
"Brilliant. . . . Illustrate[s] how an avid US self-interest was transformed into selfless moral enactment."
-The Nation
"A pivotal book, one making an important tie between social psychology and historical scholarship. . . . Well written and organized. . . . Not only a Latin Americanist but any historical scholar would benefit greatly in reading this book."
-Fides et Historia
"Adds to Perez's already impressive body of writing on U.S.-Cuban relations. Those new to his work will be in awe of his deep knowledge of the topic and subtle command of the material. We longtime admirers meanwhile will be reminded why he stands as a doyen of the field."
-Journal of American History
"This is exactly the kind of book policymakers and the chattering classes ought to be reading--something beyond the ignorant regurgitations of past thinking."
-Our Man in Boston
A Nota Bene selection of The Chronicle of Higher Education
"Argues that Cuba was a laboratory of American imperialism. . . . Skillfully analyses how the metaphor of neighbour and neighbourhood was employed to justify U.S. intervention in Cuba in the late 1890s. . . . Includes a remarkable number of pictorial descriptions of Cuba from a wide range of American newspapers and magazines."
-Times Literary Supplement
"In a thought-provoking conclusion, Pérez describes how arrogant and infantilizing metaphors from the 19th century continue to shape American policy toward Cuba."
-The Chronicle of Higher Education
"[An] excellent and highly recommended study. . . . One of the most important contributions to the debate about US-Cuban relations. . . . Should be required reading for policymakers, Latin Americanists, and Cuban exiles everywhere."
-Latin American Review of Books
From the Inside Flap
For more than two hundred often turbulent years, Americans have imagined and described Cuba and its relationship to the United States by conjuring up a variety of striking images--Cuba as a woman, a neighbor, a ripe fruit, a child learning to ride a bicycle. One of the foremost historians of Cuba, Louis A. Perez Jr. offers a revealing history of these metaphorical and depictive motifs and discovers the powerful motives behind such characterizations of the island.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Metaphors are vital to understanding the North American relationship with Cuba,
By ROROTOKO (rorotoko dot com) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Cuba in the American Imagination: Metaphor and the Imperial Ethos (Caravan Book) (Hardcover)
"Cuba in the American Imagination" is on the ROROTOKO list of cutting-edge intellectual nonfiction. Professor Perez's book interview ran here as cover feature on March 3, 2009.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Indespensible,
This review is from: Cuba in the American Imagination: Metaphor and the Imperial Ethos (Caravan Book) (Hardcover)
Anyone who considers himself any sort of an expert in Cuban-American relations has to read this book. It is the finest examination of how the United States perceived Cuba historically, as well as how American policies have been shaped by elite media and political influences since the Revolution.No one can understand the current continued hostility of the United States against Cuba without reading this book. It is one of the best in a long line of outstanding works by Louis Perez Jr.
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Inside This Book
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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depictive efficacy, selfless intent, sovereign nationhood, beneficent intent, metaphorical constructs, figurative depiction, metaphorical representations Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, North American, Fidel Castro, New York, Platt Amendment, Uncle Sam, Latin America, Literary Digest, Teller Amendment, President William, Theodore Roosevelt, Albert Beveridge, Cuba Libre, New World, Spanish-American War, South Carolina, Foreign Relations, John Quincy Adams, Gulf of Mexico, Havana Post, Santiago de Cuba, Depiction of Cuban, Cold War, Senate Committee, Washington Post Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
depictive efficacy, selfless intent, sovereign nationhood, beneficent intent, metaphorical constructs, figurative depiction, metaphorical representations Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, North American, Fidel Castro, New York, Platt Amendment, Uncle Sam, Latin America, Literary Digest, Teller Amendment, President William, Theodore Roosevelt, Albert Beveridge, Cuba Libre, New World, Spanish-American War, South Carolina, Foreign Relations, John Quincy Adams, Gulf of Mexico, Havana Post, Santiago de Cuba, Depiction of Cuban, Cold War, Senate Committee, Washington Post Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
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