Something New? Cuban Educational Internationalization, Africa, and the African Diaspora

• In Event: 56.017 - Intersections of Race, Color, Language, and Gender: Investigating Dialogue, Access, and Opportunity in Cuba

Abstract

Rationale
Conversation on the relationship between Cuba and the United States is often focused on discussion of the United States’ 53-year old embargo against the Caribbean island nation following Cuba’s nationalization of American-owned businesses and oil refineries in 1960.
In the midst of this clash of ideology and halt of trade, civil rights and independence movements throughout the Americas and the continent of Africa acted as one of several push factors for African and African Diaspora students to seek educational opportunities outside of their nations of origin. This flow of Black immigrant tertiary students has continued over several decades but has been relatively under researched, with educational research on Black immigrant (i.e. Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latin, etc.) student mobility, educational achievement, trajectories, and experiences focusing largely on migrations to Canada and Europe in pursuit of higher education.
The rise of Cuba as a revolutionary, socialist state served as an opportunity to educate and export the revolution, including African and African Diaspora students, who were offered a space to gain knowledge and earn credentials that legitimized migrant students.


Methods
The study conducted is a descriptive case study used to describe an intervention or phenomenon and the real-life context in which it occurred (Yin, 2013). The study is grounded in interpretivism as a means of gaining a deeper understanding of the experiences of African and Afro-Caribbean migrant students pursuing higher education in Cuba.

Data Collection
Student participants were recruited from “Universidad de la Cuba” (pseudonym) and Universidad Médica de Cuba, flagship research universities located in Cuba. All students that agreed to participate participated in a semi-structured interview as they allow researchers the opportunity to respond to new or emerging ideas and views presented by respondents (Merriam, 1998). Interviews conducted ranged from 20 to 30 minutes in length, audiotaped, and transcribed for analysis.

Data Analysis/Instruments
Interview questions were composed to effectively assess students’ feelings about their migratory experiences, their understandings and perceptions of their educational experiences in Cuba as well in their native countries, and their views on the Cuban educational system and Cuban society overall.

Findings
While the literature on this population’s experiences and trajectories are is in its infancy, these opportunities offered to immigrants is not new. A theme of racialization and acculturation are apparent in the findings from the interviews and student narratives, with Cuba being viewed as a welcoming space. Cuba, though smaller in population and size, has provided for Africa and the African Diaspora an example of the construction and operation of educational equity. With its dedication to lifelong learning and its commitment to the educational development of all citizens, Cuba is what its neighbor (the United States) claims to strive for in national rhetoric. Focusing specifically on the education of immigrant students at the primary, secondary, and post-secondary levels, Cuba has shown itself to be a leader in educational investment, pedagogy, and praxis.

Author

• Nana Brantuo, University of Maryland - College Park