The Latin Americanist

Abstract:

As it is well known, the XIX century saw the expansion of the sugar industry in Cuba and the emergence of three very successful music genders: La Habanera, el Tango and el Danzón. It also brought a radical transformation of the cities all over the world. Since then, they were divided in different sectors, according to their occupants’ social condition. The article: “Espacios de contensión…” traces the representation of dance and literature in Cuba during the second half of the XIX century. It reads the location of movement in dance, as well as the representation of social gatherings and race in the same line. It questions the legitimacy of Cuban elites (white) to prescribe, forbid or critize this social manifestation. Since talking about dance granted them the opportunity to shape and/or reshape Cuban culture and their traditions, it also gave them the chance to talk about politics, race and the hegemonic/subaltern cultures that made up the nation. I illustrate this point with three different authors that have come to symbolize Cuba’s XIX century elite: Julián del Casal, Luis Victoriano Betancourt and José Martí.