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Article
"My Country" / "This Country": Ambivalent Belongings of Cuban Americans in South Florida
Forum: Qualitative Social Research (Sozialforschung)
  • Robin Cooper, Nova Southeastern University
  • Denese Edsall, Nova Southeastern University
  • Diana Riviera, Nova Southeastern University
  • Julia Chaitin, Sapir Academic College
  • J. P. Linstroth, Nova Southeastern University
ORCID ID
0000-0002-5099-9647
ResearcherID
I-7777-2019
Publication Date
9-1-2009
Abstract

This article explores significant notions of home and belonging among first- and second-generation Cuban immigrants in South Florida. The analyses are derived from biographical narrative interviews with six Cuban Americans. Three key subjects were in the biographical life stories—the notion of escape or leaving, the sense of home, and constructions of Cuban identity. In assessing these themes, we found there to be profound differences between the generations. Moreover, these Cuban biographies demonstrate how differing stories of migration provide new theoretical perspectives on immigration, transnationalism, and ethnicity. The experiences presented and discussed here connect to the ambivalence and complexity of belongingness and interpretations of Cuban-ness.

DOI
10.17169/fqs-10.3.1364
Citation Information
Robin Cooper, Denese Edsall, Diana Riviera, Julia Chaitin, et al.. ""My Country" / "This Country": Ambivalent Belongings of Cuban Americans in South Florida" Forum: Qualitative Social Research (Sozialforschung) Vol. 10 Iss. 3 (2009) p. 1 - 24 ISSN: 1438-5627
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/robin-cooper/1/