Neoliberalism, the Special Period and Solidarity in Cuba

Abstract

While the Cuban state's resistance to neoliberalism and to US dominance in particular has been vigorous, it is nonetheless subject to the constraints of neoliberal hegemony, and has entailed a degree of accommodation: the partial introduction of a market economy within a socialist political framework has given rise to some strong contradictions, most notably a sharp increase in inequality. This article considers to what extent the contradictions arising from these reforms have effects within everyday practices of struggle which threaten to problematize dispositions to solidarity — dispositions which are central to continued resistance, and an important social and political resource in confronting and shaping the future.