M. Myrta Leslie Santana, Transformismo: Performing Trans/Queer Cuba" (U Michigan Press, 2025)

M. Myrta Leslie Santana, Transformismo: Performing Trans/Queer Cuba" (U Michigan Press, 2025)

Author: New Books Network May 21, 2025 Duration: 56:47
In Transformismo, M. Myrta Leslie Santana draws on years of embedded research within Cuban trans/queer communities to analyze how transformistas, or drag performers, understand their roles in the social transformation of the island. Once banned and censored in Cuba, transformismo, or drag performance, is now state-sponsored events. Transformismo suggests that these performances are making critical interventions in Cuban trans/queer life and politics and in doing so, the volume offers critical insight into how Cuba's postsocialist reform has exacerbated racial, sexual, and economic inequalities. Leslie Santana argues that mainstream trans/queer nightlife in Cuba is entangled with the island's tourism economy, which has shaped the aesthetics and social makeup of transformismo in coastal Havana, which largely caters to foreigners. Leslie Santana considers how Black lesbian and transgender transformistas are expanding understandings of sexual selfhood and politics on the island, particularly questioning the ways that Black women's creativity is prominently featured in the aesthetics of tourism and trans/queer nightlife, while Black women themselves are denied social and material capital. M. Myrta Leslie Santana is Assistant Professor of Music at the University of California San Diego. Katie Coldiron is the Outreach Program Manager for the Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC) and PhD student in History at Florida International University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/lgbtq-studies

Dive into the vibrant and evolving world of queer scholarship with New Books in LGBTQ+ Studies. This podcast, part of the broader New Books Network, functions as a unique academic audio library, bringing rigorous yet accessible conversations directly to your ears. Each episode features an in-depth dialogue where authors discuss their latest publications with a knowledgeable host, unpacking the ideas, research, and personal journeys behind their work. You’ll encounter a rich spectrum of topics that span the categories of arts, culture, society, health, and sexuality, reflecting the interdisciplinary heart of LGBTQ+ studies. Rather than dry lectures, these are lively explorations that connect academic research to lived experience and contemporary issues. The format allows for nuanced discussion you simply can’t get from a book jacket or review, offering listeners a front-row seat to the cutting edge of queer thought. It’s an invitation to engage with the scholars who are shaping our understanding of identity, community, history, and politics. For anyone curious about the depth and breadth of queer scholarship-from seasoned academics to dedicated allies and lifelong learners-this channel provides a consistently enlightening resource. Tune in to hear the voices defining the field, one compelling book at a time.
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