Cuba Between Hope and Waiting: Some Notes on the Concept of Waiting in the Cuban Social Context

Authors

  • Duzan Avila Castellanos PhD Candidate

Keywords:

Waiting, Waiting in Cuba, Temporalities, Hope, Institutions, Philosophical Materialism, Cubans Waiting, Cuba, Cuban Literature, Cuban Revolution, Cuban Society, Society, Gustavo Bueno, Discontinuous Materialism, Cuban Social Sciences, Cuban Studies, Cultural Studies, Contemporary Cuba

Abstract

This study explores the complexity of certain notions of "waiting" related to Cuban society, analyzing their manifestation across various spheres such as art, literature, folklore, and social sciences. The article identifies two main conceptions of waiting: "secularized hope" and "proleptically organized institutional waits," highlighting how these intertwine with multiple elements of everyday life for Cubans. Through an innovative approach, it considers that some of these "waits" are not merely temporal phenomena, but true social institutions, deeply rooted in the country's socio-cultural and historical structure. Moreover, the study begins by considering the waiting processes as social institutions, addressing them through the operations that characterize them in each case. The operational dimension here is recognised as the distinctive core from which the analysis of other essential dimensions in waiting advances, such as space, time, or the associated psychological experiences. This study aims to surpass the traditionally temporal focus of the social sciences on waiting, offering a deeper analysis of its material characteristics based on its manifestations and representations in the Cuban context.

Published

2025-02-14

How to Cite

Avila Castellanos, D. (2025). Cuba Between Hope and Waiting: Some Notes on the Concept of Waiting in the Cuban Social Context. A Contracorriente: Una Revista De Estudios Latinoamericanos, 22(2), 261–291. Retrieved from https://acontracorriente.chass.ncsu.edu/index.php/acontracorriente/article/view/2473

Issue

Section

Articles / Artículos