Description
Book SynopsisJalane D. Schmidt shows how the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre, discovered in 1612 and known as Cachita, is a potent and contested symbol of Cuban national identity. She analyzes the five times over the last eighty years Cachita has been celebrated in Cuba's urban streets.
Trade Review"[W]hat makes
Cachita's Streets special is the attention the author gives to the many different contexts within which the Virgin has been venerated, supplicated, politicized, and racialized over the centuries—Cuba's tumultuous 20th century in particular. Providing a careful study of all the facets of the Virgin’s role in Cuban life, Schmidt documents the multidimensional and contested Cachita of the streets, not merely the Virgin of the shrine in El Cobre. The result is an exemplary socioreligious history." -- D. Jacobsen * Choice *
"The book is carefully researched and is a special contribution to the study of religion, particularly in the Oriente (Eastern region of Cuba)....Schmidt’s work represents a unique approach to the study of religion in Cuba and uses rich archival research to follow worship of La Virgen de la Caridad throughout the island’s history." -- Danielle Pilar Clealand * Ethnic and Racial Studies *
"
Cachita’s Streets is deeply researched and skillfully crafted." -- Reinaldo L. Román * New West Indian Guide *
"Schmidt offers up a history of the Virgin and her devotees, but in the process, she engages the reader in a sweeping narrative of Cuban politics, identity, race and religion over the past four centuries. . . . Schmidt sheds light on the importance of the Cuban streets as a stage for political and religious leaders to influence their audience, the Cuban people." -- Caroline Barnett * AmeriQuests *
"[Schmidt's] ethnographic research is unparalleled . . . . The book adds a much-needed piece to the study of historical and contemporary Cuban religion." -- Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado * Religious Studies Review *
"Careful and captivating. . . . One of the best histories of Marian devotion that I have read, and one of the best books on Cuba overall." -- Linda B. Hall * Catholic Historical Review *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments vii
Introduction. "Antes": Processions Past 1
Part I. Cuba Produnda, 1612–1927
1. From Foundling to Intercessor: Our Lady Help of Slaves 17
2. Mambisa Virgin: Patrona of the Patria 49
Part II. Regal Streets, 1931–1936
3. Royalty in Exile: Banishing Bembes 69
4. Crowning La Caridad: The Queen of Republican Cuba 94
Part III. Martial Streets, 1951–1958
5. The Virgin General on the March: Conquering Cuba? 131
6. Rebel Sierras and Lowlands: Petitioning the Mother of Cuba 164
Part IV. Revolutionary Streets, 1959–1998
7. "¡
Todos a la Plaza!": Mobilizing in Revolutionary Time and Space 185
8. "The Streets Are for Revolutionaries!": Prohibiting Processions 207
9. Luchando in the Special Period: Papal Visit 235
Conclusion. Processions Present: Returning to the Streets, 1998–2012 273
Notes 299
Bibliography 323
Index 347
