FACULTY Q&A
The protests calling for “Fatherland and Life” in Cuba have been met with military tanks and censorship by the Cuban government. University of Michigan sociologist Silvia Pedraza says the protests are the result of a perfect storm that includes the coronavirus pandemic, the lack of a charismatic leader, the deep financial crisis unleashed by changes in the currency, and greater access to the internet in recent years.
Originally from Cuba, Pedraza seeks to understand the causes and consequences of immigration as a historical process that forms and transforms nations. A professor of sociology and American culture, she is the author of several books, including “Political Disaffection in Cuba’s Revolution and Exodus,” and co-author of the forthcoming “Revolutions in Cuba and Venezuela: One Hope, Two Realities.”