Produced in Cuba: Censorship, Political Culture, and the Cuban Film Industry, 1988-1998.

This paper asserts that censorship is both restricts and produces political culture. Sociological theories of civil society have often overlooked the existence of practices and discourse in closed societies that constitute a political culture which has implications for the rise of civil society and transition to a more democratic, open society. Drawing on Foucault's conception of discipline, this paper examines the productive and restrictive aspects of censorship through qualitative investigation of the relationship between the Cuban party-state and the Cuban film industry between 1988 and 1998. Specifically, this study follows the reviews, debates, praise and controversies surrounding several satirical, politically challenging films during the decade surrounding the collapse of socialism in Europe: Plaff or Too Much Fear of Life/Plaff o demasiado miedo de la vida (Juan Carlos Tabio, 1988), and Strawberry and Chocolate/Fresa y chocolate (Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabio, 1993); Alice in Wondertown/Alicia en el pueblo de las maravillas (Daniel Díaz Torres, 1991), Guantanamera (Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabio, 1995); and, Turn Your Thoughts to Me/Pon tu pensamiento en mi (Arturo Sotto, 1997), and By providing a detailed mapping of the techniques officials used to censor and permit these films, this study shows how the goal of censorship is management rather than elimination of critique. The findings suggest that theories of civil society need to begin with more nuanced understandings of the political culture that exists in closed societies, with special attention to the qualities of action and discourse associated with the public-private debate. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]