by Kim E. Kozak

Tourism is now considered the main industry in Cuba. For Cubans, this tourist boom is providing welcome opportunities for self-employment and access to hard currency. Tourists wanting to experience life outside of large hotels and resorts often choose accommodations in casas particulares, the Cuban equivalent of bed-and-breakfasts, where they enter the private homes and everyday life of Cuban people.

This dynamic intersection of “outsiders” into the private spaces of daily life is the subject of this book, which details the physical and social adjustments of both the owners and visitors of casas particulares. The work includes a background history of international tourism in Cuba before and after the revolution, as well as the attractions of Trinidad de Cuba, the site of the study, for tourists. The book then delves into the micro-geography of domestic and everyday spaces in casas particulares with thorough and engaging accounts by tourists and owners navigating this new territory.

Kim E. Kozak is a cultural geographer. Her research focuses on the organization of space and cultural landscapes, tourism, and micro-geographies. She has a special interest in Latin American landscapes, and has traveled, lived, and worked in several countries in the region. After receiving her Ph.D. at the University of Calgary, she was a lecturer there and at the University of Saskatchewan and later was an Assistant Professor at Eastern Michigan University. Recently, Kim relocated to the Caribbean. 

174 pp., softcover, 6 x 9 inches.

Cat. #: CSP5371
ISBN #: 9781626325371