In 1959, a revolutionary government came to power in Cuba, initiating a process of change that reverberated regionally and internationally in the new consciousness of people around the globe seeking more just societies. This revolutionary government oversaw the implementation of social policies for the poor, for black Cubans, for women, for children, for workers, and for peasants, promoting access to health care, education, meaningful work, and political participation, as well as development and a new future.  The Cuban people have transformed their society, embracing socialism and placing the betterment of all at the center of their efforts—in the face of hostile U.S. policies, the structural difficulties of an alternative development within the context of Cold War global capitalism, and a world order itself transformed with the collapse of communism and the reorganizing called globalization.  Resisting external aggression and domestic difficulties that have challenged the implementation of revolutionary visions, the Cuban state and the Cuban people have also reached out to others in the Global South, offering support for national sovereignty and medical and educational assistance that gives meaning to the phrase that a “Better World is Possible.”

To honor and commemorate their efforts over the last fifty years, Latin American Perspectives is organizing a special issue entitled Cuba at 50:  Interpreting a Half-Century of Revolution and Resistance. The issue will focus on the efforts of the Cuban people, including Fidel Castro, leader for nearly all the last five decades and spokesperson for Cuba’s nationalist and then anti-capitalist revolution and Latin America’s defiance of U.S. regional domination.  Recognizing the deep roots of the changes that have taken place in Cuba since 1959, LAP aims to provide a rich and thoughtful interpretation of the aspirations and achievements of the revolution, one that locates Fidel Castro and the revolutionary process within the transformation of the identities, theorizing, and practices of the national and global left(s).

This issue of Latin American Perspectives will bring together critical essays on the goals, strategies, and accomplishments of the Cuban Revolution over time, testimonials from Cubans and other participants (worldwide) about the global, regional, and local meaning of revolution in Cuba, and creative readings of Cuba’s future.  Given that many of the scholars working with Latin American Perspectives have conducted research in Cuba and published on Cuba, editors and friends of LAP are invited to comment on or analyze the past and prospects of the Revolution at this milestone in Cuban history.  Commentaries, analysis, and testimonials will also be solicited from other critical scholars on the left, in Cuba, in Latin America, in Europe, and in the United States.