Teaching Resources |
Academic Publications
"Social Medicine in Practice:
A Student Perspective on ELAM and its
Educational Program,"
Razel Remen and Lillian Holloway
Social Medicine (www.socialmedicine.info) - Volume 3, Number 2, July 2008
The Latin American School of
Medicine in Cuba (called ELAM, Escuela
Latinoamericana de Medicina) currently trains over 10,000 students from at least 27
countries, including the United States.
A Student Perspective on ELAM and its Educational Program
"Gender Issues in Cuba: Building Bridges—Remaining Gaps," Ana Karim, American University, Spring 2008
Ana Karim recently finished her Master's Degree in Ethics, Peace and Global Affairs at American University's School of International Studies. Her work focused on U.S. policy toward Cuba and gender issues in Cuba. She also has a Master of Divinity from Baptist Theological Seminary of Richmond and a B.S. in physical therapy from UNC. Ana has traveled to Cuba on many occasions to guide delegations of students and church groups, to be a part of fact-finding delegations, to coordinate American University's study abroad program in Havana the spring of 2008, and to visit relatives.
Gender Issues in Cuba: Building Bridges—Remaining Gaps
Trade Liberalization, Food Security and the Environment: The Neoliberal Threat to Sustainable Rural Development, Carmen G. Gonzalez, Seattle University School of Law
Transnational Law and Contemporary Problems, Vol. 14, 2004
Abstract: This article deals with the impact of the WTO and IMF/World Bank reforms on food security and the environment, why Cuba has to date been immune from this nonsense, and what may happen when the embargo is lifted. The article is not centered on Cuba, but the section on Cuba places the Cuban experiment with sustainable agriculture in context and lays out the treacherous waters that Cuba will be navigating once the embargo is lifted.
This article examines the historic and contemporary roots of chronic malnutrition and environmental degradation in the developing world. It chronicles the patterns of trade and production that contribute to this problem from the colonial period until the present, and analyzes the role of contemporary trade, aid and development practices in ameliorating or exacerbating the problem. The article argues that the neoliberal economic reforms imposed on developing countries through the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization (WTO) exacerbate hunger and environmental degradation by reinforcing pre-existing inequities in the global trading system that relegate many developing countries to the export of primary agricultural commodities as a means of generating the revenue with which to purchase food and manufactured goods. This economic specialization erodes food security and degrades the environment by replacing biodiverse agroecosystems with monocultures that require massive application of pesticides and fertilizers. The article concludes with several recommendations designed to promote food security and sustainable rural development.
Trade Liberalization, Food Security and the Environment
Seasons of Resistance: Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in Cuba, Carmen G. Gonzalez, Seattle University School of Law
Tulane Environmental Law Journal, Vol. 16, p. 685, 2003
Abstract: Beginning in the mid-1990s, Cuba embarked upon a transformation of the agricultural sector that has been hailed by some observers as a model of socially equitable and ecologically sustainable agriculture. Cuba shifted from an export-oriented, chemical-intensive agricultural development strategy to one that promoted organic agriculture and encouraged production for the domestic market.
This article places Cuba's agricultural reforms in historical context by examining the evolution of Cuban agriculture from the colonial period until the present through the lens of food security and ecological sustainability. The article argues that Cuba, for most of its history, was food insecure and ecologically compromised as a consequence of its dependence on one agricultural commodity (sugar) to generate the bulk of foreign exchange revenues, its reliance on imports to satisfy domestic food needs, its dependence on one primary trading partner (initially Spain, subsequently the United States and the Soviet Union), and its adoption of capital-intensive, chemical-dependent agricultural production techniques. When the collapse of the socialist trading bloc in 1990 plunged the Cuba economy into a state of crisis, the Cuban government implemented as series of reforms that diversified Cuba's economic base, diversified the range of crops cultivated, prioritized domestic food production, and promoted organic and semi-organic farming techniques. The article concludes that these reforms enhanced food security and ecological sustainability, but questions whether they will survive the lifting of the U.S. economic embargo and the reintegration of Cuba into global trade and financial institutions.
Seasons of Resistance: Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in Cuba
Cuban Women: History, Contradictions and Contemporary Challenges, Eds. Colleen Lundy and Norma Vasallo Barrueta, Carleton University Graphic Services, Ottawa, November 2001.
Copyright © 2001 Colleen Lundy and Norma Vasallo Barrueta
- Chapter 1--Elvira Díaz Vallina
- The Invisibility and the Visibility of Women in the History of Cuba
- Chapter 2--Norma Vasallo Barrueta
- Women's Studies in Cuba
- Chapter 3--Reina Fleitas Ruiz
- Gender and Reproductive Health in Cuba in the Nineties
- Chapter 4--Margarita Carmenate and Leticia Artiles Visbal
- Human Biology and Health Among Cuban Women
- Chapter 5--Therese Jennissen and Colleen Lundy
- Progress in the Face of Adversity: Cuban Women Entering the New Millenium
- Chapter 6--Norma Vasallo Barrueta
- Cuban Women and Economic Changes: The Impact on Women's Personal Experience
- Chapter 7--Milagros Martínez Reinosa
- Women and Cuban Foreign Policy: An Approximation to the Study of the Topic in the Decade of the Nineties
Cuban Women: History, Contradictions and Contemporary Challenges
The US Women and Cuba Collaboration gratefully acknowledges the permission of Deborah Shnookal of Ocean Press to publish on our website: Vilma Espin's Cuban Women Confront the Future, ed. Deborah Shnookal.
Copyright © Ocean Press, 1990.
Vilma Espin, Cuban Women Confront the Future
Cuba and the United States: A Chronological History, by Jane Franklin, 1997, is available online at her homepage in .pdf format, completely searchable. Jane is a member of the US Women and Cuba Collaboration's National Advisory Board.
As reviewed by Nancy Mikelsons: "This is one of the best research and reference tools available. Easy to use, accurate and not only should you use it on line, but buy a copy for a clear historical picture to use at events where you are introducing Cuban Revolutionary History or talking to people who need historical background to 'get on board' about the Five or any other aspect of US behavior towards Cuba."
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jbfranklins/Bio.htmPlease Donate
Mission Statement
Our mission is to build a strong US women's movement dedicated to ending the US government blockade of Cuba and to creating mutually beneficial US–Cuba relations; our work is rooted in the concept of universal human rights, racial and economic justice, and women's rights.
Campaigns
- Right to Travel: Help us work to end all travel bans on US citizens for travel to Cuba, and on Cubans who cannot secure US visas to visit the US.
- Reality of Cuban Women's Lives: Learn about impressive public policy advances of Cuban women, and also about the harsh impacts of the US blockade on the lives of Cuban women and children.
- Advancing Global Feminisms: Join us as we learn how to share the lessons of global women's networks to advance the status of women globally and to build a strong US women's movement.
Contact Us
Join the US Women & Cuba Collaboration. Contact us to be added to our email list for notices of news, action items, and upcoming delegation opportunities (not more than one email a month).
Victoria Kill
info@womenandcuba.org
Project Co-Chairs:
Cindy Domingo
yoson66@hotmail.com
Jan Strout
peacewomen4ever@yahoo.com
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