A Social History of Cuba's Protestants: God and the Nation

(Hardback)

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Description

A Social History of Cubas Protestants: God and the Nation presents a religious and social history of Cuba, focusing on the Presbyterian and other Protestant churches, to show the continuity of ties between US and Cuban churches before and after the revolution in 1959. By examining the history of Cubas Protestants as agents of social change within Cuba and as partners with US denominations, James A. Baer offers a unique assessment of Cubas development as a nation and its relationship with the United States. Scholars of Latin American studies, religion, history, and social movements will find this book particularly useful.

Reviews

James Baer offers readers a unique insight into the transnational dimensions of Presbyterianism in Cuba, tracing the 19th-century origins linked to U.S. missions, explaining the growing independence of Cuban Protestants that saw Cuban religious leaders gaining more powerful roles in Cuban organizations, and noting the roles of Protestant leaders working with the revolutionary government from the 1970s to the present. A Social History of Cuban Protestants joins a growing literature that looks at Cuban civil society over the past century, illustrating the role of religious organizations and practitioners in Cubas various political struggles. Baers history of Protestants generallyand the small but vital Presbyterian church specificallyis a welcome complement to the plethora of business, economic, and political studies of modern Cuban history. -- Kirwin Shaffer, Pennsylvania State University - Berks College

Author Bio

James A. Baer is retired professor of history at the Alexandria Campus of Northern Virginia Community College.