Transnational family ties between Cuba and Germany: Isolation, restrictions and agency

Since colonial period, Cuba’s economy and society have been organized around extended family networks. In revolutionary Cuba the role of the family has decreased substantially, as the state has assumed many of its traditional functions. But since the economic crisis sufficient social services could no longer be provided. Thus the family has regained its position as a primary force in society – now organized transnationally. In spite of the relative isolation of Cuba, an increasing number of families live in a transnational space. In the face of the economic crisis and the dual economy, these transnational households emerge as new sustainability projects for the families and the system. Simultaneously they pose a potential challenge to the status quo. This presentation will analyze the formation of transnational families between Cuba and Germany and their impact on social transformations in Cuba. I will address these phenomena drawing on results of reconstructive analysis (according to Rosenthal) of biographical interviews in the scope of my PhD-thesis. To trace the migration process and the negotiation of roles I opted for a ‘multi-sited’ cross-generational approach by interviewing Cubans in Germany and their family members in Cuba. The presentation provides insight into the dynamics of two selected transnational families. These cases will show how in spite of the apparently impermeable borders, migrants maintain transnational family ties. The crossing of national borders is connected with reciprocal benefits. Transnational relations are used for instance by immigrants to guarantee child caring and by the relatives left behind to consolidate the household income. The actions of migrants affect the lives of their relatives in Cuba. Financial support creates new social disparities. In consequence, the country is divided into those who receive remittances and those who are excluded from this possibility. Socialism is thus sustained and undermined by these transnational family networks.