Cuba Ethnographic Field School
Based in: Santiago de Cuba
Dates: May 27–June 17, 2024
Applications for the 2024 field school are now closed.
The theme of the 2024 summer school in Cuba is “Saber esuchar / To know how to listen.” Cubans are currently experiencing difficult daily life conditions because of an economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the enduring U.S. embargo.
Saber escuchar is a skill that anthropologists need to develop to create sincere and empathetic relationships with people they meet during their journey.
After consultation with our collaborators in Cuba, we decided to offer the field school despite economic and logistical challenges. Our collaborators told us that welcoming the field school students to their home, cultural centres, institutions and communities will be a great help in supporting their projects.
They said that students from abroad need to come and exchange with Cuban people so that information can be shared in both ways and that we can learn from each other’s life experiences. Saber escuchar is something we can do as students, anthropologists, friends, etc. It goes beyond the learning outcomes of this field school. It connects with all spheres of life.
This field school is ideal for those interested in exploring ethnographic approaches and methodologies. You’ll gain concrete experience in the field and in a Spanish-speaking context. We’ll go off the beaten track and discover some of the unique contemporary cultural practices and social and economic dynamics that characterize the biggest island in the Caribbean.
The field school is organized in collaboration with Casa Dranguet, a cultural centre in the city centre of Santiago de Cuba. You will visit and participate in 2 of Casa Dranguet’s community-engaged projects: La Fraternidad ecoarchaeological site and the Caminos del Café’s cooperative.
For more information, contact Dr. Alexandrine Boudreault-Fournier: alexbf@uvic.ca
Funding
Students travelling to field schools may be eligible for travel assistance. Learn about funding for field schools.
Additional information
The field school combines 2 courses for a total of 3 credits: Cultural Anthropology Field School Regional Topics (ANTH 382) and Cultural Anthropology Field School Methods (ANTH 381). Courses will take place at Casa Dranguet in Santiago de Cuba.
ANTH 382 will adopt an anthropological perspective in examining the themes of economy, official and illicit systems of circulation and distribution, as well as Afro-Cuban religion, contemporary culture and music.
As part of ANTH 381, you will conduct small-scale ethnographic exercises (observation, participant observation and interview) to understand what is involved in conducting ethnographic fieldwork in a different cultural and linguistic context.
Students will attend lectures by Dr. Alexandrine Boudreault-Fournier (UVic), Dr. Mélissa Gauthier (UVic) and Dr. José Miyares (Casa del Caribe). There will be workshops led by different artists and cultural and religious figures living in Eastern Cuba.
You’ll stay with Cuban host families who are legally registered as casa particular (bed and breakfasts). Students will share a private bathroom and stay two per room. You will eat breakfast and some dinners with your host family.
Staying with a family will allow you to interact with Cubans and get a sense of their everyday life. All the houses will be in the same neighbourhood.
Cuban food is delicious, and we will have the opportunity to eat different types of meals. Vegetarian dishes should be available most of the time. You will eat with your host family and in Cuban restaurants.
On rare occasions, full vegetarian meals may not be available. However, you will have other options such as rice, eggs, vegetables and fruit.
We will spend one day in Guantánamo and 3 days in the beautiful city of Baracoa. Three days will be spent in the remote area of La Fraternidad outside of Santiago de Cuba.
There will be several field trips. For instance, as part of ANTH 382, we will learn Afro-Cuban dances with a dance group from Guantánamo and we will meet a religious priest of the Santería religion in a small village called Palma Soriano.
We will visit various sites associated with the Slave Route, such as the Cimarrón monument in El Cobre (UNESCO sites).
You’ll have the chance to spend time with visual artists, musicians and traditional figures involved in contemporary Cuban culture.
The approximate total cost for the field school for Canadian students is $5,300. This does not include personal expenses while in Cuba (souvenirs, free time, etc.) and private health/travel insurance.
Field school fee: $2,800. This includes accommodations, workshops and field trips, land transportation within Cuba and food for the duration of the field school.
Tuition for ANTH 381 and 382: Approximately $1,000 for Canadian students. See tuition fees for international students.
Airfare: Fares from Victoria to Cuba are approximately $1,500 (return) though subject to change.
Dr. Alexandrine Boudreault-Fournier has conducted ethnographic fieldwork in Cuba since 2000. She speaks Spanish fluently and knows the local culture well.
Alexandrine has coordinated 4 ethnographic field schools in Cuba, which were great successes. She looks forward to embarking on her fifth experience with another group of motivated students!
Dr. Mélissa Gauthier is a cultural anthropologist. She specializes in economic anthropology and border studies with particular attention to the intersections of culture and economy.
As part of her work on urban livelihoods and informal economies, she has conducted extensive fieldwork with Mexican cross-border traders along the U.S.-Mexico border and the border between Mexico and Belize.
Her teaching interests include economic anthropology, borders, migration, globalization, research methods, street economies in the Global South and consumption. Mélissa led and taught the 2023 Cuba Ethnographic Field School and is excited to participate again in 2024.
Dr. José Miyares from the Casa del Caribe will share his wide-ranging knowledge and passion for Cuban culture and history.
Alexandrine and/or Mélissa will translate meetings and workshops. However, students will have to cope with linguistic constraints outside of the course schedule.
Very few Cubans speak English. We strongly encourage you to take a Spanish course before we travel.
“I highly recommend the field school for any of those who seek to get a hands-on experience of what the actual lives of Cubans entail; as well as a deeper and better understanding of Cuban culture as a whole.”
“I was so fortunate to be able to attend this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was an amazing life-changing experience.”
“This field school was unbelievable! I still look back and wonder if it really happened. Every day was such a unique adventure, as Cuba filled my senses to the brim.”