Much has been written about transnational feminist networks and their impacts on the local condition of women. Transborder feminist organizing has reshaped discourses and practice from the local to the international. Global feminist endeavors have influenced the development of international legal standards affecting the circumstances of women and contributed to the gender mainstreaming of human rights initiatives. At the same time, feminist transnationalism has often been identified as the source of tension as efforts have at times resulted in support for a neoliberal agenda propounding empowerment and self-esteem issues, which in turn, has raised questions about who is defining the agendas and strategies for women's struggles for rights. It is in this context that an exploration of the impact of globalization on Cuban feminism stands in sharp contrast to the many experiences described in feminist scholarship. Cuban feminism is uniquely shaped by its national history, including the experience of colonialism and globalization, both mainstays for unequal global political economies. Cuban feminists draw upon their historical political culture as a consequence of experiences of the 19th century wars for independence from Spain, during which were widely recognized for their heroism and combativeness. Cuban feminism is also a product of women’s participation in repeated mobilizations against the United States in the early twentieth century, culminating in the revolution of 1959 that has given form to an advanced state of gender equality. Cuba is ranked as the most gender equal country in Latin America and near the top world-wide. A study of Cuban feminism reveals the contradictory nature of globalization upon efforts to achieve gender equality. A globalized feminism has helped to create the spaces of autonomy that were adapted by Cuban feminists to address gender-based violence. Heightened attention to domestic violence coincided with the “Special Period” in the 1990s in response to the economic collapse occasioned by the demise of the Soviet Union, Cuba’s key trading partner and provider of subsidies. During this period, the United States expanded the embargo against Cuba. Because U.S. sanctions were perceived as a threat to national security, efforts to examine state practices that contributed to domestic violence were dampened by the perceived need to maintain national consensus in the face of an external threat. Cuban feminists nonetheless continued to call attention to the issue of domestic violence in a global context, which had assumed epidemic proportions to which the Cuban people could not be indifferent. By reframing national concerns for women’s inequality as a global issue, Cuban feminists were successful in raising concerns that might otherwise be relegated to the background, or perhaps even ignored altogether. The globalization of human rights norms has enabled Cuban women to employ strategies to reduce the possibility of creating a false dichotomy between national interestsidentities and gender interestsidentities. But the globalization of a neoliberal political economy has also contributed to disproportionate burdens born by Cuban women. The revolution enabled women to make significant gains in the political economic life of the nation. However, the Special Period and recent global economic crisis has acted to erode many of these gains. Indeed, the crisis has been inordinately experienced by women who have been expected to meet the challenges of food shortages and an increased work-load. Globalization has thus raised new difficulties that have counterposed gender equity and family survival. Cuban feminists have relied on an emerging global consensus on the need to eradicate domestic violence and to develop strategies for social and legal reform for women. At the same time, globalization has resulted in new challenges for Cuban women who face hardship and uncertainty. Cuban feminism continues to endeavor to adapt in a globalized world, and to choose those strategies that will advance improved circumstances for women and the nation.