1: Education, Politics, and Social Transformation

I began writing this chapter soon after my return from giving an address at an international conference in Cuba. As many of you will know, it is not easy for U.S. citizens to go to Cuba. Special licenses are required. Permission is only given if the person has a “legitimate” purpose for going. And in the case of academic lectures at conferences, permission is only given if the conference is not sponsored by the Cuban government. During the time I was in Havana, the United States tightened these regulations even more to make it even harder for Cuban Americans to send money to, or even to visit, relatives living in Cuba. This was on top of over forty years of economic and cultural/political blockade.