It’s been a little over a year since President Obama made public his plan to chart a new course on U.S.-Cuba relations. In that time, the U.S. State Department has rescinded its designation of Cuba as a “state sponsor of terrorism,” and in summer 2015, after a 54-year hiatus, the two countries reopened embassies in Havana and Washington.  

But there’s still a long way to go. Trade restrictions between the two countries still exist, despite a United Nations vote in October that overwhelmingly condemned the continuing U.S. blockade of Cuba. President Obama called for an end to the embargo in his final State of the Union in January, yet the restrictions remain, the lifting of which would require a collective act on the part of a very polarized Congress. With U.S. presidential campaigns well under way, this year’s election will bring in a new Commander in Chief. And in two short years, Cuba will be in the same boat as Raúl Castro steps down.

Much is changing between these two nations, and our expert series panelists say to fasten your seat belts for what will surely be a bumpy ride.

Join us in an evening discussion about the latest U.S.-Cuba developments and hear from experts who can speak to the countries’ tumultuous past and what will hopefully be a promising future.
Cuba and the U.S.: Making Up is Hard to Do
School of Social Sciences Expert Speaker Series

Panelists: Rubén G. Rumbaut Riera, Distinguished Professor, Sociology, UCI | Hanna Garth, UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Anthropology, UCI | Mrinalini Tankha, Postdoctoral Scholar, Institute for Money, Technology & Financial Inclusion, UCI | Todd Work, Agent-Manager, Cuba Travel Services


Moderator: Anita Casavantes Bradford, Associate Professor, Chicano/Latino Studies, UCI

Thursday, February 25, 2016
Reception 6:00 p.m. | Presentation with Q&A 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Social and Behavioral Science Gateway, Room 1517

About:

Anita Casavantes Bradford, Associate Professor, Chicano/Latino Studies, UCI
Areas of expertise include transnational and comparative Latina/o history; Cuban and Cuban-American history; the history of immigration, race and ethnicity; and the history of childhood and the family.

Hanna Garth, UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellow, Anthropology, UCI
Areas of expertise include Cuba’s changing food provisioning system and its effects on family and social relationships.

Rubén G. Rumbaut Riera, Distinguished Professor, Sociology, UCI
A native of Havana, Rumbaut’s research has focused on multiple aspects of immigration to the U.S., as well as the Cuban diaspora and the history of U.S.-Cuba relations.

Mrinalini Tankha, Postdoctoral Scholar, Institute for Money, Technology & Financial Inclusion, UCI
Areas of expertise include Cuba’s dual currency system and the workings of the country’s informal economy.

Todd Work, Agent-Manager, Cuba Travel Services
Located in Cypress, Cuba Travel Services is a full service travel agency specializing in enjoyable and hassle-free travel to Cuba.

Supplemental readings:


Parking is available in the Social Sciences Parking Structure for $2 per hour or $10 per day.

For further information, contact Rosemarie Swatez, rswatez@uci.edu or 949.824.2511.


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