Par Kumaraswami is a Lecturer in Latin American Cultural Studies and Co-Director of the Centre for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, University of Manchester. She has published extensively on Cuban cultural policy and practice, including a forthcoming co-authored monograph on literary culture and the Cuban Revolution. She is co-editor of Making Waves: Anniversary Volume: Women in Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies (with Ann Davies and Claire Williams, 2008) and Revolucionarias: Conflict and Gender in Latin American Narratives by Women (with Niamh Thornton, 2007).