Guantánamo and American Empire: The Humanities Respond

Description

This book explores the humanities as an insightful platform for understanding and responding to the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, other manifestations of “Guantánamo,” and the contested place of freedom in American Empire. It presents the work of scholars and writers based in Cuba’s Guantánamo Province and various parts of the US. Its essays, short stories, poetry, and other texts engage the far-reaching meaning and significance of Gitmo by bringing together what happens on the U.S. side of the fence—or “la cerca,” as it is called in Cuba—with perspectives from the outside world. Chapters include critiques of artistic renderings of the Guantánamo region; historical narratives contemplating the significance of freedom; analyses of the ways the base and region inform the Cuban imaginary; and fiction and poetry published for the first time in English. Not simply a critique of imperialism, this volume presents politically engaged commentary that suggests a way forward for a site of global contact and conflict. Front Matter ....Pages i-xxix Finding Guantánamo: Freedom, Paradox, and Poetry (Don E. Walicek, Jessica Adams)....Pages 1-38 The Amen Temple of Empire (Diana Murtaugh Coleman)....Pages 39-66 Responding to Erasure: U.S. Imperialism, Guantánamo Bay, and Haitian Asylum Policy (Don E. Walicek)....Pages 67-99 The Many Bodies of Mos Def: Notes for an Unremarkable Poem on Failure (Guillermo Rebollo Gil)....Pages 101-119 Storytelling and Truth-Telling: Testimonial Narratives in The Road to Guantánamo and Guantánamo: ‘Honor Bound to Defend Freedom’ (A. Naomi Paik)....Pages 121-147 Guantánamo and Community: Visual Approaches to the Naval Base (Esther Whitfield)....Pages 149-171 “Kites” and “Breathing Room,” with an Introduction by the Author (Ana Luz García Calzada)....Pages 173-181 Guantánamo in the Eye of the Hurricane (José Sánchez Guerra)....Pages 183-213 Where’s Guantánamo in Granma? Competing Discourses on Detention and Terrorism (Jana K. Lipman)....Pages 215-243 Poetic Imaginings of the Real Guantánamo (No, Not the Base) (Laurie Frederik)....Pages 245-269 Poetry and the Enemy’s Arrows: An Interview with José Ramón Sánchez Leyva (Don E. Walicek)....Pages 271-282 Selected Poetry (José Ramón Sánchez Leyva)....Pages 283-291 Back Matter ....Pages 293-302