Operation Peter Pan and the Mariel Boatlift – Cuban emigration to the U.S. in a changing Cold War context

master's thesis

• Author: Karlo Mihanović
• Mentor: Sven Cvek (mentor)
• Mentor: Tvrtko Jakovina (mentor)
• Committee member: Sven Cvek (predsjednik povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Tvrtko Jakovina (član povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Hrvoje Tutek (član povjerenstva)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; (Department of English language and literature); Zagreb
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; (Department of History); Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2023-09-21, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: HUMANISTIC SCIENCES; Philology; Anglistics
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: HUMANISTIC SCIENCES; History; Croatian and World Modern and Contemporary History

Abstract

This thesis examines and compares two particular episodes in the broader Cuban emigration to the United States in the post-revolutionary period, Operation Peter Pan and the Mariel Boatlift, through the lived experience of the participants, augmented by scholarly works and an in-depth examination of the historical background of the events that precipitated them amidst the broader historical context of the Cold War and Cuban-American relations. These two waves of migration were chosen because they provide a valuable insight into the shifting social structures of Castro’s Cuba and of the Cuban-American community as the differences in the racial and social stratification of the emigrants that arrived through Operation Peter Pan and the Mariel boatlift were reflected in the differing reception they received upon entry to the United States and the manner of their arrival – these changing characteristics of Cuban immigrants to the United States provide a fertile ground for comparison and analysis not only of the changes in the social class of the exiles leaving Cuba and the shifting perceptions of Cuban-Americans as a result of that shift but also help illustrate the developments and changes in Cuban-American relations within the framework of the Cold War.

• Keywords: Cuba-United States relations; Operation Peter Pan; Mariel boatlift; immigration; Cold War
• Language: english
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:131:801408
• Study programme: Title: English Language and Literature (double major); specializations in: Linguistics, Literature and Culture, Translation; Course: Literature and Culture; Study programme type: university; Study level: graduate; Academic / professional title: magistar/magistra engleskog jezika i književnosti (magistar/magistra engleskog jezika i književnosti)
• Study programme: Title: History (single major); specializations in: Research, Teaching; Course: Research; Study programme type: university; Study level: graduate; Academic / professional title: magistar/magistra povijesti (magistar/magistra povijesti)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2023-09-21 11:46:53