Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Unraveling Cuban Exceptionalism: Cold War Dynamics And Lobbying Strategies, Zoe Hovde

Research Honors

Immigrant inequality becomes most apparent with the privileges granted to the Cuban-American expatriate community. Cuban exceptionalism was fostered most explicitly through the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 and has remained in effect since. The preservation of this exceptionalism brings forth the question of the conditions continuing to support it. Previous studies give theoretical approaches, including “policy capture” and “new Cuban” negligence, to exceptionalism, as well as argue for human rights considerations by the United States. However, they fail to observe the collective influence of anti-Communist sentiments, comparisons to Venezuelans, attitudes of Cuban-Americans, and lobbying. This study achieves just that. It …