Memory and Identity: The Urban Imaginary of Santiago de Cuba

Abstract

This article presents the results of research carried out with residents of the city of Santiago de Cuba on urban imaginaries. Based on the theoretical contribution of authors such as Armando Silva and Néstor García Canclini, who see in the study of urban imaginaries an unorthodox way to understand cultural and communication processes in cities, the research presents a combination of elements that expand and reveal other meanings for behaviors, choices, identity relationships and group memory. This article seeks to synthesize the results of a questionnaire carried out with residents of the Cuban city, whose sociocultural structure is permeated by collective values constructed from official discourses. The methodology adopted is historical-critical, in conjunction with results of empirical surveys and interviews with residents. The results showed that the consensus is not the result of spontaneous choices. Collective memory and imaginaries are based on a permanent refoundation of the country's history, where facts not associated with the periods of struggle for independence or revolution were and are repeatedly suppressed from everyday life and from remembrances.