La Lucha For Cuba: Religion And Politics On The Streets Of Miami,New

For Many In Miamis Cuban Exile Community, Hating Fidel Castro Is As Natural As Loving Ones Children. This Hatred, Miguel De La Torre Suggests, Has In Fact Taken On Religious Significance. In La Lucha For Cuba, De La Torre Shows How Exilic Cubans, A Once Marginalized Group, Have Risen To Power And Privilegedistinguishing Themselves From Other Hispanic Communities In The United Statesand How Religion Has Figured In Their Ascension. Through The Lens Of Religion And Culture, His Work Also Unmasks And Explores Intrahispanic Structures Of Oppression Operating Among Cubans In Miami.Miami Cubans Use A Religious Expression, La Lucha, Or 'The Struggle,' To Justify The Power And Privilege They Have Achieved. Within The Context Of La Lucha, De La Torre Explores The Religious Dichotomy Created Between The 'Children Of Light' (Exilic Cubans) And The 'Children Of Darkness' (Resident Cubans). Examining The Recent Saga Of The Elin Gonzlez Custody Battle, He Shows How The Cultural Construction Of La Lucha Has Become A Distinctly Miamistyle Spirituality That Makes El Exilio (Exile) The Basis For Religious Reflection, Understanding, And Practiceand That Conflates Political Mobilization With Spiritual Meaning In An Ongoing Confrontation With Evil.