Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press
Location:
African American Research Center, Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Notes:
283 p., Using travel and tourism as sites where the pleasures of imperialism met the politics of empire, Christine Skwiot untangles the histories of Cuba and Hawai'i as integral parts of the Union and keys to U.S. global power, as occupied territories with violent pasts, and as fantasy islands ripe with seduction and reward. Grounded in a wide array of primary materials that range from government sources and tourist industry records to promotional items and travel narratives, The Purposes of Paradise explores the ways travel and tourism shaped U.S. imperialism in Cuba and Hawai'i.
African American Research Center, Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Notes:
214 p, This study offers a unique perspective in interpreting the cultural politics of Cuba's complex history through an exploration of the country's literature. The book introduces readers to some of Cuba's most eminent and engaging voices by examining some of the historical tropes put forth by major writers. Drawing on an array of interpretive approaches from mythopoetic analysis to phenomenology, West addresses the work of Nancy Morejon, Alejo Carpentier, Virgilio Pinera, Dulce Maria Loynaz, Jose Lezama Lima, and Severo Sarduy. This poetic look at Cuba's rich and turbulent history through the eyes of its writers will be of interest to students and scholars of Latin American history and culture; Includes bibliographical references