The Cuban Republic and José Martí: 1902 - 2002

December 6 - 8, 2001
Graduate School and University Center
365 5th Ave.

The Cuban Republic was born in the first years of the twentieth century with formidable tasks ahead. Several historical legacies among the new republican leaders and institutions vied for articulating Cuban identity, the state, and civil society. One legacy in particular, the nationalist and political ideas of José Martí, took a central stage among the followers of the Cuban separatist martyr and "apostle." Today few would doubt the centrality of Martí's legacy for the Cuban sense of identity and nationality. The approaching centennial of the origin of the Cuban Republic provides an opportunity to evaluate the symbiosis and counterpoints between Cuban republican traditions and Martí's legacy.

This international symposium brings together over twenty specialists from
Brazil, Cuba, France, Germany, Mexico, United States to assess the evolving interactions between views of the Cuban republic and readings of Martí's ideas and influence.

Registration is required. Those interested in the December conference should send inquiries to bildner@gc.cuny.edu or write to Bildner Center, The Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016.

The Bildner Center acknowledges the support from the Ford Foundation, the Christopher Reynolds Foundation, and The Graduate Center, City University of New York.

Session I
Thursday, Dec. 6: Skylight Conference Roomm (9100)
5:00 p.m. Registration
5:30 p.m. Opening Remarks
6:00-7:30 p.m.
Martí and Republican Traditions
Moderator: Margaret Crahan, Hunter College & Graduate Center - CUNY
"Building the Literary Image of José Martí in the
United States"
Ivan A. Schulman,University of Illinois
"Los primeros republicanos. Notas sobre la
tradición republicana en Cuba"
Rafael Rojas,Colegio de Mexico
"Reescribiendo a José Martí: Fina García Marruz"
Luisa Campuzano,Casa de las Américas
7:30 p.m. Reception (By invitation)

Session II
Fri., Dec. 7, 2001: Room 9206
8:30-9:00 a.m. Registration
9:00-11:00 a.m.
Nation-Building and Culto Martiano
Moderator: Alfonso Quiroz, Baruch College &
Graduate Center - CUNY
"The 'Apostle' in Stone: Nationalism and Monuments
in Honor of Martí"
João Felipe Gonçalves, Johns Hopkins University
"Redefining Martí and 'Cuba Libre' in the 1920s"
Lillian Guerra, Bates College
"Martí en el cine cubano"
Rogelio París, ICAIC

Session III
11:15-1:15 a.m.
The Republic and the United States
Moderator: Mauricio Font, Queens College & Graduate Center - CUNY
"The Long and Winding Road that Dead-Ended: U.S. Cuban Relations
(1898-1961)"
Marifeli Pérez-Stable, Florida International University
"José Martí and the Americas: Class, Race and the Limits of National
Representation"
Laura Lomas, Pennsylvania State University
"Cuban Displacement, American Transnational Form: Martí's Escenas
norteamericanas"
Antonio López, Rutgers University
"Racism in the Republic: Marti and the Legacy of the U.S. Civil War"
Oscar Montero, Lehman College & Graduate Center - CUNY
1:15-2:30 p.m. Lunch

Session IV
2:45-5:00 p.m.
The Radical & Revolutionary Legacy
Moderator: Oscar Montero, CUNY
"José Martí, pilar de la Revolución cubana"
Paul Estrade, University of Paris VIII
"'Rights Are Not Pleaded, They are Wrested by Force of Arms.' Martí and the Cult of the Resource to Violence in Cuba, 1902-2002"
Rafael Tarragó, University of Minnesota
"Martí and the Schools of the Republic"
Alfonso Quiroz, Baruch College & The Graduate Center-CUNY
"El uso del legado martiano por los Indepedientes de Color"
Tomas Fernandez Robaina, Biblioteca Nacional Jose Marti

Session V
Sat., Dec. 8, 2001: Room 9206
10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.
Cuban Historiography and Martí
Moderator: Samuel Farber, Brooklyn College - CUNY
"Presencia martiana en los textos de historia de Cuba (1902-1958)"
Carmen Almodóvar, Universidad de La Habana
"José Martí en la obra de Fernando Ortiz"
José A. Matos,Instituto de Filosofía y Fundación Fernando Ortiz
"Ediciones y popularización de la obra martiana desde 1902"
Pedro Pablo Rodríguez,Centro de Estudios Martianos
"A Dream Transformed: Martí, U.S. Intervention and the Cuban Republic"
Stephen Sokol, Fund for Reconciliation and Development
12:00-1:15 p.m. Lunch

Session VI
1:30-3:30 p.m.
National and Group Identities:
Immigrants, Race, and Gender
Moderator: Michael Turner, Hunter College - CUNY
"Inmigración española e imaginario nacional en Cuba"
Consuelo Naranjo Orovio, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas,Madrid
"Martí y la emigración cubana de Yucatán frente al nacimiento de la
República"
Carlos Bojórquez Urzaiz,Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán
"Race and the Republic in Lydia Cabrera"
Licia Fiol-Matta,Barnard College
"Gender Trouble: José Martí and Juana Borrero"
Ottmar Ette,Universität Potsdam
4 p.m. Closing Comments

to reserve, send email to bildner@gc.cuny.edu or leave message at (212) 817-2096