As the official research period comes to a close, I am happy to be working with the first draft of my project abstract. I ultimately decided to track the narrative of one family over three generations, namely the Eng Herreras. Their family chronology functions as the framework for the project in order to limit my scope and instead focus on the depth of my archival research. Although they are in some ways a typified Chinese Cuban family, in other aspects we see great departures from the traditional migration narrative and compelling insights into the daily texture of Chinese Cuban life. Here is my abstract:

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From the days of coolie importation in the mid-nineteenth century to successive waves of voluntary migration in the twentieth century, the Chinese presence in Cuba has created a significant Chinese Cuban diaspora community. This paper seeks to explore the settlement orientation of Chinese Cubans against the framework of sojourner theory, originally coined by sociologist Paul Siu to describe Chinese American immigrants, in order to gain deeper insight into the motivations and experiences of Chinese Cuban migration. Using oral histories and archival photographs to reconstruct the narratives of the Eng Herrera family, the rich fabric of Chinese Cuban life in the twentieth century comes to the forefront with an emphasis on identity formation, societal integration, and individual agency. The case study of the Eng Herreras both exemplifies “a typical Chinese Cuban family,” per Louie Kin-Sheun, and highlights exceptional nuances in an intergenerational chronology.

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In terms of next steps, I am excited to be delving into the writing stage of the research process. Writing is usually the most enjoyable and exhilarating part of the research for me, as all of the pieces seem to fall into place and I can finally see the project starting to come to fruition. I look forward to completing this project and learning more about what all the other scholars have been working on this summer!