Description
Book SynopsisA Social History of Cuba's Protestants: God and the Nation presents a religious and social history of Cuba, focusing on the Presbyterian and other Protestant churches, to show the continuity of ties between US and Cuban churches before and after the revolution in 1959. By examining the history of Cuba's Protestants as agents of social change within Cuba and as partners with US denominations, James A. Baer offers a unique assessment of Cuba's development as a nation and its relationship with the United States. Scholars of Latin American studies, religion, history, and social movements will find this book particularly useful.
Trade ReviewJames Baer offers readers a unique insight into the transnational dimensions of Presbyterianism in Cuba, tracing the 19th-century origins linked to U.S. missions, explaining the growing independence of Cuban Protestants that saw Cuban religious leaders gaining more powerful roles in Cuban organizations, and noting the roles of Protestant leaders working with the revolutionary government from the 1970s to the present. A Social History of Cuban Protestants joins a growing literature that looks at Cuban civil society over the past century, illustrating the role of religious organizations and practitioners in Cuba’s various political struggles. Baer’s history of Protestants generally—and the small but vital Presbyterian church specifically—is a welcome complement to the plethora of business, economic, and political studies of modern Cuban history. -- Kirwin Shaffer, Pennsylvania State University - Berks College
Table of ContentsChapter 1. Pastors and Patriots (1890-1906) Chapter 2. Growth and Consolidation (1907-1917) Chapter 3. Education and Reform (1918-1933) Chapter 4. National Stirrings (1934-1947) Chapter 5. Confronting Revolution (1948-1958) Chapter 6. Through the Valley of Bones (1959-1968) Chapter 7. Out of Darkness (1969-1991) Chapter 8. Renewal and Hope (1992-2008)
