viernes, 1 de agosto de 2025

Memory in Havana’s Chinatown


The application of visual anthropology in photojournalistic practices allows for an innovative exploration of identity and cultural expressions within Havana’s Chinatown, a historically rich and interculturally dynamic space. Through methods such as participant observation and ethnographic photography, researchers from the University of Havana have illuminated how cultural practices in this neighborhood reflect both continuity and transformation across time. The study identifies five symbolic practices—religious rituals, interpersonal relations, spatial interactions, cultural memory, and consumption habits—as key expressions of identity formation. Notably, the memory of Chinese migration and its integration into the Cuban sociocultural matrix is evidenced in the hybrid practices that persist despite the demographic decline of the Chinese population. The tension between ethnic heritage and broader national identity surfaces in the photojournalistic narrative that seeks not only to document but to interpret and engage with the lived reality of the community. A significant case is the Group Promotor del Barrio Chino, which, during the 1990s, aimed to recover endangered traditions like the Lion and Dragon dances. Though this initiative eventually faded, it marked a pivotal effort in heritage preservation. Ultimately, the camera becomes a tool of both cultural insight and advocacy, emphasizing that urban identity is not static but constructed through practices, memories, and symbolic negotiations, especially in areas where ethnicity, commerce, and memory converge in complex urban layers (Carvajal Suárez et al., 2021).






Carvajal Suárez, E., Ferrán Fernández, Y., Hernández García, L. and Martín Pastrana, A. (2021). Acercamiento a las prácticas culturales del Barrio Chino habanero desde la antropología visual en la producción fotoperiodística. URBS. Revista de Estudios Urbanos y Ciencias Sociales, 11(2), pp.115–126.