A commemorative presentation on the 122nd anniversary of José Martí‘s death at Dos Ríos. Martí scholar Raquel Vinat gives us a unique view into the transcendental role played by women throughout his life–in the spiritual, emotional, literary, and political realms–and how they informed his struggle for Cuba’s freedom.
The presentation will address the historical context of these relationships, the key role played by Cuban women in the political and social spheres, Marti’s views on feminist ideology, and his conceptualization of patria within the exile community in New York.
The presentation will be followed by a Q & A with the audience.
BARUCH COLLEGE
25th Street, bet. Lexington and Third Aves., NYC
6th FLOOR: CONFERENCE ROOM 6-210
SPACE IS LIMITED
Free Admission
All who wish to attend must RSVP at: cccofny@aol.com
[Pictured above: a young María Mantilla next to Martí’s portrait.]
Raquel Vinat Mata is Researcher Emerita of Havana’s Instituto de Historia. A scholar on 19th century Cuba, she is the author of four books on the lives and legacy of Cuban women under colonial rule and the early years of the Republic: Obrerismo femenino en la industria cubana de la aguja; Luces en el silencio; Las cubanas en la posguerra; and Después de la guerra: ¿la paz? In 1983 she co-founded the Chair for Gender Studies at the University of Havana. Her all-encompassing doctoral thesis on the emergence and trajectory of the Cuban feminist movement in the 19th century remains unpublished, as well as four other books on key aspects of women’s role in Cuban society: Sociabilidad femenina cubana: asociacionismo y liderazgo en el siglo XIX; La mujer normada: redes de opresión y alternativas de resistencia; Presencia femenina en las publicaciones cubanas del siglo XIX; and Vida y acción de las cubanas durante la Reconcentración. During her tenure at the Instituto de Historia, and presently as an independent researcher, she has uncovered invaluable documentation that sheds new light on the social and political consciousness of women in 19th century Cuba. These not only include first-hand testimonials by white women, but also by slave and free black women. Prof. Vinat’s articles on related topics, including dance and gender, the female musical discourse, religion, woman and the family, cultural identity, and racism have appeared in scholarly journals in Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and Spain.