Isle of Rum: Havana Club, Cultural Mediation, and the Fight for Cuban Authenticity

Author:   Christopher Chávez
Publisher:   Rutgers University Press
ISBN:  

9781978838833


Pages:   190
Publication Date:   07 October 2024
Recommended Age:   From 18 to 99 years
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Our Price $79.07 Quantity:  
Add to Cart

Share |

Isle of Rum: Havana Club, Cultural Mediation, and the Fight for Cuban Authenticity


Add your own review!

Overview

Focusing on Havana Club rum as a case study, Isle of Rum examines the ways in which Western cultural producers, working in collaboration with the Cuban state, have assumed responsibility for representing Cuba to the outside world. Christopher Chávez focuses specifically on the role of advertising practitioners, musicians, filmmakers, and visual artists, who stand to benefit economically by selling an image of Cuba to consumers who desperately crave authentic experiences that exist outside of the purview of the marketplace. Rather than laying claim to authentic Cuban culture, Chávez explores which aspects of Cuban culture are deemed most compelling and, therefore, most profitable by corporate marketers. As a joint venture between the Cuban state and Pernod Ricard, a global spirits marketer based in Paris, Havana Club embodies the larger process of economic reform, which was meant to reintegrate Cuba into global markets during Cuba’s Special Period in a Time of Peace.

Full Product Details

Author:   Christopher Chávez
Publisher:   Rutgers University Press
Imprint:   Rutgers University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 0.80cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.045kg
ISBN:  

9781978838833


ISBN 10:   1978838832
Pages:   190
Publication Date:   07 October 2024
Recommended Age:   From 18 to 99 years
Audience:   College/higher education ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations Introduction Chapter One: Advertising and Authenticity Chapter Two: Selling Cuban Culture Chapter Three: Long Distance Nationalism and the Logic of Capitalism Chapter Four: Museums and Memory Chapter Five: Rum, Race, and Representation Chapter Six: The Losing Game of Authenticity Acknowledgements References Index

Reviews

"""Isle of Rum is an intoxicating journey through the heart and soul of Cuba’s most iconic spirit. Meticulously researched, Chávez’s exploration of the intersections of commercial pressures, the socialist state, and advertising culture provides a thought-provoking narrative of how authenticity is continuously reimagined in the global marketplace. Whether you are a rum aficionado, a communication studies student, or just curious about the sociopolitical complexities of Cuba, this is a must-read. Simply fantastic.""  — Marie Sarita Gaytán, author of ¡Tequila! Distilling the Spirit of Mexico ""Through decades of advertising and internal corporate documents, Chávez examines the case study of Havana Club rum. Unlike the ubiquitous Bacardi rum, Havana Club remains a state-run product, produced in communist Cuba. Chávez effectively argues that the ever-changing marketing campaigns reflect the evolving political, economic, and social conditions in Cuba, from campaigns that promote Cuban rum as a kind of cultural diplomacy to one that becomes about the marketing of the commodity itself to Western, capitalist social influencers.""— Jennifer P. Mathews, coauthor of Sugarcane and Rum: The Bittersweet History of Labor and Life on the Yucatán Peninsula"


"""Through decades of advertising and internal corporate documents, Ch�vez examines the case study of Havana Club rum. Unlike the ubiquitous Bacardi rum, Havana Club remains a state-run product, produced in communist Cuba. Ch�vez effectively argues that the ever-changing marketing campaigns reflect the evolving political, economic, and social conditions in Cuba, from campaigns that promote Cuban rum as a kind of cultural diplomacy, to one that becomes about the marketing of the commodity itself to Western, capitalist social influencers.""--Jennifer P. Mathews ""coauthor of Sugarcane and Rum: The Bittersweet History of Labor and Life on the Yucat�n Peninsula"" ""Isle of Rum is an intoxicating journey through the heart and soul of Cuba's most iconic spirit. Meticulously researched, Ch�vez's exploration of the intersections of commercial pressures, the socialist state, and advertising culture provides a thought-provoking narrative of how authenticity is continuously reimagined in the global marketplace. Whether you are a rum aficionado, a communication studies student, or just curious about the socio-political complexities of Cuba, this is a must read. Simply fantastic."" --Marie Sarita Gayt�n ""author of �Tequila!: Distilling the Spirit of Mexico"""


Author Information

CHRISTOPHER CHÁVEZ is the Caroline S. Chambers Distinguished Professor of Advertising and the director of the Center for Latina/o and Latin American Studies (CLLAS) in the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon in Eugene. He is the author of The Sound of Exclusion: NPR and the Latinx Public and Reinventing the Latino Television Viewer: Language Ideology and Practice.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions
Latest Reading Guide

Aorrng

Shopping Cart
Your cart is empty
Shopping cart
Mailing List