The Other in the Cuban heritage public space as an object of symbolic violence

• In Event: WG-PLACE 2: Research on crime, place and time

Abstract

Enhancing the value of heritage public spaces involves recognizing certain subjects while rendering others invisible, intensifying tensions brought on by tourism, qualifying the heritage public space as sites of conflict. This article identifies who is considered the Other in Cuba's patrimonial public space and explores the implications of the resulting symbolic violence. The concept of Otherness highlights identity tensions shaped by power dynamics. In Cuba, Otherness is also intertwined with historical processes, particularly concerning tourism's role as a long-standing solution to economic crises. The heritage public space is tailored towards a specific subject, usually idealized as the client, who in Cuba, is typically not a local resident. This divide between locals and tourists fosters distinct expressions of symbolic violence, evident through everyday mechanisms that reinforce structures of dominance and exclusion within cultural and social systems. Is the Cuban individual regarded as the Other? The research utilizes an autoethnographic method, drawing on life histories to examine the factors that define heritage public spaces as contentious arenas centered around Otherness. It seeks to identify indicators that facilitate the study of social inclusion-exclusion dynamics and their criminological expressions, rooted in symbolic violence and its linkage to other forms of violence, thereby revealing its structural and systemic nature.

Authors

• Ana Rocio Mena Blanco, Universidad Central Marta Abreu de Las Villas and Vrije Universiteit Brussel

• Lucas Melgaço, Associate Professor -VUB