Changes in Ethnic Solidarity in Cuban Miami^*

* I would like to thank Helen Hazen, Kavita Pandit, Steve Holloway, and Adam Paffenroth for their helpful comments on earlier versions of this article, as well as the two anonymous reviewers for their suggestions

Abstract.

Many people describe the Cuban community in Miami as a prime example of ethnic solidarity; others see it as internally divided. This study argues that the contradiction can be resolved when ethnic solidarity is seen as encompassing various components and when changes in cohesiveness in response to external and internal influences on the ethnic community are taken into account. These influences include the context of reception in the United States and the relationship between established Cubans and more recent immigrants. We need to refine our understanding of what constitutes ethnic solidarity, how it changes over time, and what role it plays, both within the community in general and within the ethnic‐enclave economy in particular

Key words:

• Cubans
• ethnic‐enclave economy
• ethnic resources
• ethnic solidarity
• Miami.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Heike C. Alberts

Dr. Alberts is an assistant professor of geography at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901