Cuban Heritage
Collection

New Directions in Cuban Studies Conference

2026 Conference: October 21-23, 2026

The Cuban Heritage Collection at the University of Miami Libraries, together with the Program in Cuban Studies in the College of Arts & Sciences, invites you to attend the sixth edition of New Directions in Cuban Studies, a multidisciplinary conference showcasing emerging research on Cuba and its global diaspora by advanced graduate students and early-career scholars. The conference will be held in person at the Roberto C. Goizueta Pavilion on October 21-23, 2026. This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required to attend.
Conference Schedule

At a moment of profound uncertainty for Cuba and heightened debate about the island’s possible futures, New Directions in Cuban Studies brings together scholars from across disciplines to explore new approaches to the study of Cuba’s history, culture, politics, economy, and global connections. The conference offers an opportunity to engage with fresh research, diverse methodologies, and interdisciplinary perspectives that deepen our understanding of Cuba and Cuban communities worldwide.

The conference keynote address, Getting Beyond the Balancing Act: Cuban Studies Then and Now, will be delivered by Dr. Lillian Guerra, Professor of Cuban and Caribbean History at the University of Florida and co-editor of Cuban Studies. The author of five books, Dr. Guerra will draw on her recent scholarship and oral history interviews to reflect on the evolution of Cuban Studies, the intellectual and political debates that have shaped the field, and the challenges and possibilities facing Cuba and Cuban communities worldwide.

New Directions in Cuban Studies is generously funded by the Goizueta Foundation, with additional support from the Wilbur L. and Jean L. Morrison Endowment for Cuban Studies and the Emilio Bacardí Moreau Chair in Cuban and Cuban-American Studies.

Please note that the conference will be bilingual, with presentations and discussions held in English and Spanish.

Register to attend

Registration

Conference Schedule

DAY ONE: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2026

REGISTRATION & WELCOME RECEPTION

WELCOME REMARKS

Michael Bustamante, Ph.D., Emilio Bacardí Moreau Chair in Cuban and Cuban-American Studies and Director of Program in Cuban Studies, University of Miami / Director of Academic Programs, Cuban Heritage Collection

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Lillian Guerra, Ph.D, Professor of Cuban and Caribbean History, University of Florida and co-editor of Cuban Studies
Getting Beyond the Balancing Act: Cuban Studies Then and Now

CLOSING REMARKS

Amanda Moreno-Schroeder, Esperanza Bravo de Varona Chair & Director of the Cuban Heritage Collection

DAY TWO: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2026

REGISTRATION

WELCOME REMARKS

  • Charles Eckman, Ph.D., Dean and University Librarian, University of Miami
  • Amanda Moreno-Schroeder, Esperanza Bravo de Varona Chair & Director of the Cuban Heritage Collection
  • Michael Bustamante, Ph.D., Emilio Bacardí Moreau Chair in Cuban and Cuban-American Studies and Director of Program in Cuban Studies, University of Miami / Director of Academic Programs, Cuban Heritage Collection

NOSOTROS LA MUSICA

Mike Levine, Ph.D., Christopher Newport University (Moderator/Discussant)

  • Generar Cuba: cómo la inteligencia artificial transforma los territorios de la música cubana
    Javier Soriano, Ph.D. | Sorbonne Paris 3. Conservatoire et Université de Poitiers
  • Arranging Afri-Cuban Temporality: Bembeya Jazz National’s Musical Arrangements in Havana, 1965-1978
    Shelby Arias-Runyan | Yale University
  • Cuban Guitar Virtuosos in New York: A Recovered Oral History of Rey de la Torre, and Rolando and Alberto Valdés-Blain
    Anthony Lalena, Ph.D. | SUNY Geneseo

CUBAN VISUAL ARTS & LITERATURE

Lillian Manzor, Ph.D., University of Miami (Moderator/Discussant)

  • Boca, boca, boca: Structural, Implied, and Transcribed Oricha Music in the Poetry of Adrian Castro
    Yoán Moreno | University of Miami
  • Cuba at the Crossroads: Spain, the United States, and the Making of the Cuban Republic in Alexis Esquivel’s Paintings
    Chasitie Brown, Ph.D. | Southwestern University
  • El drama bíblico de la Revolución cubana (1959-2015)
    Gelsys García, Ph.D. | University of California, Los Angeles

LUNCH BREAK

DIASPORA AND EXILE TRAJECTORIES

Jorge Duany, Ph.D., Florida International University (Moderator/Discussant)

  • Aché Owó: Ritual Economies of Santería and the Formation of a Cuban Diaspora
    Ahkeel Mestayer | UC Berkeley
  • Cold War U: The Early Days of Cuban Studies at the University of Miami
    Katie Coldiron | Florida International University
  • Del corpus lingüístico al archivo migratorio: cómo se habla de Cuba y Estados Unidos en conversaciones cubanas sobre migración
    Yohana Beatriz Martínez Abreu | University of Miami
  • Cuando el símbolo se vuelve humano y cuenta su historia: trauma, testimonio, y disputas por la representación de la prisión política en el exilio cubano
    Monica Baró Sánchez | University of Miami

DAY THREE: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2026

REGISTRATION

WELCOME REMARKS

Amanda Moreno-Schroeder, Esperanza Bravo de Varona Chair & Director of the Cuban Heritage Collection

CUBA’S ENVIRONMENT IN CONTEMPORARY AND HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Daniel A. Rodríguez, Ph.D., Brown University (Moderator/Discussant)

  • Who Governs Nature after Reform? Environmental Management Amidst Cuba’s 2026 Economic Restructuring
    Isabel James | University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
  • El Meteoro: Environmental Policy, Crisis Management, and State Survival in Cuba, 1966-2018
    Allison Baker | UC San Diego
  • The Legacy of Environmental Imaginaries on Human-Environment Interactions at Pico Turquino
    Rodrigo Bustamante | The University of Texas at Austin

CUBAN INTER- AND TRANS-NATIONAL RELATIONS IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Michael Bustamante, Ph.D., University of Miami (Moderator/Discussant)

  • The Changing Dynamics of Hispano-Cuban Relations after Franco, 1975-1982
    Andrés Pertierra | University of Wisconsin – Madison
  • Remembering mambises italianos: Transnational Memory, Sovereignty, and the Making of the Cuban Republic
    Daria Kozhanova | Duke University
  • Envisioning a Socialist Family? The Cuban Revolution’s Early Policies and Their Impact on 1960s Chile
    Camila Sanhueza | University of California, Irvine

CLOSING REMARKS

Michael Bustamante, Ph.D., Emilio Bacardí Moreau Chair in Cuban and Cuban-American Studies and Director of Program in Cuban Studies, University of Miami / Director of Academic Programs, Cuban Heritage Collection