UC San Diego

This investigation examines the nature of Black representation in the Cuban education system while also exploring how Black exclusion necessitates radical popular education and Black organizing in the municipality of Marianao. The Cuban Revolution drastically improved the quality of life of millions of Cubans by nationalizing the land and universalizing both health care and education. This case study aims to explore the role of the education system in constructing notions of Cubanidad and how African culture exists within Cubanidad. This thesis contrasts both the objectives and structural differences between public education and popular education spaces. This investigation seeks to answer the following questions: What is the state of Black representation within Cuba’s educational system and curriculum? How do implicit ideologies of whiteness continue to otherize and further exclude Black people and other historically marginalized groups? From the perspective of Black activists and organizers from Havana, how do the schools systems address race and national identity? How do the instructional methods of the school systems differ from the instructional methods used in popular education spaces and community schools/ workshops? This project utilized a mixed methods approach that consisted of interviews, archival research, participant observation, and a discourse analysis of curriculum and other educational resources online. Ultimately, this thesis aims to demonstrate how the school systems act a tool of development and modernity that furthers the legacy of colonialism by excluding marginalized voices.