Intimate stereotypes: The vicissitudes of being caliente in touristic Cuba

Abstract

Stereotypes about the caliente (‘hot’) character of Cuban people, whose origins can be traced back to the colonial past of the island, circulate widely in contemporary touristic Cuba. Drawing on nine months of participant observation of intimate encounters between foreign tourist and Cuban people, the article focuses on the practical uses of these stereotypes in everyday touristic interactions on the island. On the one hand, it appears that the caliente stereotype can help bring Cubans and tourists together, facilitating sexual encounters between them. On the other, such stereotype also hampers Cuban people’s aspirations to establish stronger relational bonds with their tourist partners. Examining this tension, the article follows the vicissitudes of the caliente Cuban and teases out its alternative interpretations as national trait, tactical instrument, or expression of love. What emerges is that in responding to different demands and aspirations, the protagonists of touristic encounters work over notions of intimacy, redrawing lines of belonging and exclusion. Building on current anthropological debates in the fields of tourism, love, morality, and the politics of culture, the article provides an approach to stereotypes in everyday life that helps us rethink anthropological conceptions of (cultural) intimacy, and sheds new light on its contemporary transformations.