Lydia Cabrera and the Construction of an Afro-Cuban Cultural Identity (Envisioning Cuba)

214 Pages·2004·1.11 MB·English

by  Edna M. Rodriguez-Mangual

Lydia Cabrera
and the
Construction
of an
Afro-Cuban
Cultural
Identity
Envisioning Cuba
Louis A.Pérez Jr., editor
Edna M.
Rodríguez-
Mangual
Lydia Cabrera
and the
Construction
of an
Afro-Cuban
Cultural
Identity
The
University
of North
Carolina
Press
Chapel Hill
and London
© 2004
The University of
North Carolina Press
All rights reserved Library of Congress
Manufactured in the Cataloging-in-Publication Data
United States Rodríguez-Mangual, Edna M.
of America Lydia Cabrera and the construction
of an Afro-Cuban cultural identity/
Designed by Edna M. Rodríguez-Mangual.
Eric M. Brooks p. cm.—(Envisioning Cuba)
Set in Quadraat and Includes bibliographical references
Gill Sans Bold and index.
Extra Condensed by isbn0-8078-2887-4 (cloth: alk. paper)
Eric M. Brooks isbn0-8078-5554-5 (pbk.: alk. paper)
1. Cabrera, Lydia—Contributions in
The paper in this book Cuban ethnology. 2. Cuba—Civilization—
meets the guidelines for African influences. 3. Blacks—Cultural
permanence and durability assimilation—Cuba. 4. Blacks—Cuba—
of the Committee on Ethnic identity. 5. Blacks—Cuba—
Production Guidelines Folklore. I. Title. II. Series.
for Book Longevity pq7389.c22z865 2004
of the Council on 868'.6409—dc22 2004049626
Library Resources.
cloth 08 07 06 05 04 5 4 3 2 1
paper 08 07 06 05 04 5 4 3 2 1
For
Miriam and Geño
This page intentionally left blank
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1
The Point of Departure:
Fernando Ortiz and Afro-Cuban
Contents Studies 25
2
A Disarticulation of the Gaze:
Exploring Modes of Authority and
Representation in the Rhetoric of
El monte 59
3
The Death of the King:
Between Anthropology
and Fiction 99
4
The Anthropologist’s Exile:
Nation and Simulacrum 133
Notes 169
Bibliography 175
Index 195
Lydia Cabrera in the 1980s 6
Lydia Cabrera in La Quinta
San José, ca. 1944 9
Illustrations
Fernando Ortiz, Lydia Cabrera,
María Herrera de Ortiz, and
María Teresa Rojas in Vienna,
1952 63
Lydia Cabrera with an informant
at the Central Cuba, Matanzas,
Cuba, 1940s 96
Lydia Cabrera with informants
at the Central Cuba, Matanzas,
Cuba, 1940s 105
When the credits roll at the end
of a film, if one has the patience to
sit still and read all the names that
made the production possible, one
can then understand the collective
work, effort, and energy that go
into such a production. A book is
not a film, yet many start with a
grateful author listing a series of
Acknowledgments
names that made it possible for
her words to make it into print.
This work is no different. I am
completely indebted to a commu-
nity of people who have offered
me, and this project, their best
talents. So the credits roll.
The idea for this book emerged
a long time ago and far away from
Cuba and the Caribbean, during
the dark winter days of Glasgow.
That year I had the opportunity
to read with pleasure—and no
deadlines—the short stories of
Lydia Cabrera, as well as a lot of
postcolonial theory and cultural
studies. I was able to chat freely
about my ideas with many friends,
including Dr. Simon Halliday. I
want to thank him for the long
hours of conversations on post-
colonialism and globalization.
After I came back from Scot-
land, I received much support
from my colleagues and professors
at Emory University, where this