The State as Family

  • Heidi Härkönen
Chapter
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Abstract

Socialist societies have sought to establish a direct relationship between the state and the individual. This chapter explores the values, institutions, and discourses that frame the lives of Cubans and mediate between the state and the individual. Contemporary Cuban state discourse draws on an image of the state as a family. The role of the state as a caretaker, the ideological use of family metaphors, and the concept of time embraced by the state discourse are central in this regard. While researchers have usually conceptualized socialist states as paternalistic because of such aspects, a focus on the dialectics of care allows for a more nuanced approach to the shifting relationship between the state and individuals.

Keywords

Television News Social Solidarity Socialist Society State Discourse Absent Presence 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  • Heidi Härkönen
    • 1
  1. 1.HelsinkiFinland

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