Content Links: Caribbean Marxism's Socialist Democracy Series, Considering the Cuban Constitutional Project, From Communist Party to Popular Plebiscite

(Pix © Larry Catá Backer 2019)

In this post and those that follow we will begin to flesh out what we see as the great challenges of democracy in illiberal states, and the methods undertaken by the Caribbean (Cuban) form of Marxism Leninism, to meet those challenges. We will asses the extent to which they might claim success, and more importantly the extent to which the gulf between theory and execution remains a problem. We hope you will join us on this journey and look forward to engagement and discussion over the month. develop an approach. This February series is wrapped around work that Flora Sapio, James Korman and I are undertaking on the Cuban process of constitutional reform.

For Cuba, of course, the development of a viable socialist democracy is essential if it is to survive the passing of its revolutionary generation. And for that reason alone, Cuba provides a quite compelling laboratory for next generation democratic theory built on non-Western liberal assumptions. For these reasons we have chosen this years theme: Caribbean Marxism's Socialist Democracy, Considering the Cuban Constitutional Project From Communist Party to Popular Plebiscite.

This Post includes the links to the contents of this series.

Introduction (The Democratic Constitution of Illiberal States—An Empirical Approach to Theorizing Popular Participation, Representation and Constitutional Reform in Cuba. 

Part 1: Caribbean Socialist Democracy 1.0; the 1976 Constitution.

 Part 2: Caribbean Socialist Democracy 1.0--A pure Theory of Elections Within A Caribbean Leninist State.

Part 3: Caribbean Socialist Democracy 1.0--The Template for Socialist Democracy: Caribbean Marxism's Socialist Democracy.

Part 4: The Asamblea General Nacional del Pueblo de Cuba and the Origins of the Socialist Plebiscite 1960-1962.

Part 5: From the Asamblea General Nacional del Pueblo de Cuba to the Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular; Situating Popular Assent Within an Institutional Cage.

Part 6: On the Nature of Voting in Cuban Marixist-Leninism; Situating Popular Assent Within an Ideological Cage.

 Part 7: The Results of the Cuban Constitutional Referendum

Part 8: Plebiscites, the "No" Vote, and the Leadership Responsibilities of the Vanguard Party

Part 9: The Referendum in the Shadow of Cuban Socialist Democracy 1.0

 Part 10: Communist Party and Asamblea Nacional--Popular Representation in the Shadow of Democratic Centralism in Cuban Socialist Democracy 1.0

 Part 11: In Search of an Ideology of Popular Affirmation in its Post Revolutionary Ecology

 Part 12: What is the (Cuban idea of) Revolution? Differences with China