Isabella Cosse – författare

Since its creation in 1964, readers from all over the world have loved the comic Mafalda, primarily because of the sharp wit and rebellious nature of its title character-a four-year-old girl who is wise beyond her years. Through Mafalda, Argentine cartoonist JoaquÍn Salvador Lavado explores complex questions about class identity, modernization, and state violence. In Mafalda: A Social and Political History of Latin America's Global Comic-first published in Argentina in 2014 and appearing here in English for the first time-Isabella Cosse analyzes the comic's vast appeal across multiple generations. From Mafalda breaking the fourth wall to speak directly to readers to express her opposition to the 1966 Argentine coup, to Spanish students' protest signs bearing her face, to the comic's cult status in Korea, Cosse provides insights into the cartoon's production, circulation, and incorporation into social and political conversations. Analyzing how Mafalda reflects generational conflicts, gender, modernization, the Cold War, authoritarianism, neoliberalism, and much more, Cosse demonstrates the unexpected power of humor to shape revolution and resistance.

Since its creation in 1964, readers from all over the world have loved the comic Mafalda, primarily because of the sharp wit and rebellious nature of its title character-a four-year-old girl who is wise beyond her years. Through Mafalda, Argentine cartoonist JoaquÍn Salvador Lavado explores complex questions about class identity, modernization, and state violence. In Mafalda: A Social and Political History of Latin America's Global Comic-first published in Argentina in 2014 and appearing here in English for the first time-Isabella Cosse analyzes the comic's vast appeal across multiple generations. From Mafalda breaking the fourth wall to speak directly to readers to express her opposition to the 1966 Argentine coup, to Spanish students' protest signs bearing her face, to the comic's cult status in Korea, Cosse provides insights into the cartoon's production, circulation, and incorporation into social and political conversations. Analyzing how Mafalda reflects generational conflicts, gender, modernization, the Cold War, authoritarianism, neoliberalism, and much more, Cosse demonstrates the unexpected power of humor to shape revolution and resistance.

As the Cuban Revolution reaches its sixtieth anniversary, contributors to this special issue explore the impact of the revolution through the lens of sexuality and gender, providing a social and cultural history that illuminates the Cuban-influenced global New Left. Moving beyond assumptions about the revolutionary left's hypermasculinity and homophobia, the issue takes a nuanced approach to the Cuban Revolution's impact on gender and sexuality. Contributors study Cuban internationalist campaigns, the relationship between cultural diplomacy and mass media, and visual images of revolution and solidarity. They follow the emergence and negotiation of new gender ideals through the transgendering of Che's “New Man,” the Cuban travels of Angela Davis, calls for sexual revolution in the Dutch Atlantic, and gender representations during the 1964 “Campaign of Terror” in Chile. In doing so, the authors provide fresh insight into Cuba’s transnational legacy on politics and culture during the Cold War and beyond.Contributors. Lorraine Bayard de Volo, Marcelo Casals, Michelle Chase, Aviva Chomsky, Isabella Cosse, Ximena Espeche, Robert Franco, Paula Halperin, Lani Hanna, Elizabeth Quay Hutchison, Melina Pappademos, Jennifer L. Lambe, Diosnara Ortega GonzÁlez, Gregory Randall, Margaret Randall, Chelsea Schields, Sarah Seidman, Emily Snyder, Heidi Tinsman, Ailynn Torres Santana

Understanding overlooked dimensions of the Cuban Revolution and its impact on the global left in the 1960s and beyondThis volume reconsiders revolutionary Cuba’s global influence by shifting the focus from high-level political leaders to perspectives traditionally sidelined, offering new insights into how everyday lives, family dynamics, and notions of gender and sexuality impacted revolutionary transformation. Its expansive scope uncovers ties among Cuba and Latin America, the United States, Africa, and Asia, examining the interplay of global forces including new models of mass consumption, feminist and LGBTQ movements, and national liberation struggles.Chapters include analyses of Chinese reinterpretations of a Cuban play, Angela Davis’s influential visits to the island, Cuba’s complex relations with Black militants in Angola, and a Mexican transgender and disability activist who reimagined Che Guevara’s legacy. They also present research on Cuba’s solidarity campaigns with Vietnam, foreign journalists who covered the revolution, the role of consumption and fashion, and the lasting impact of the revolution’s refugee policies on exiled children and families from the Southern Cone.Through its interdisciplinary sociocultural approach, this volume challenges conventional top-down narratives by foregrounding the interplay between grassroots actors and transnational affairs. It is an essential resource for scholars, students, and anyone interested in the multilayered stages of the Cuban Revolution and its continued relationship with global politics and culture.Publication of this work made possible by a Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.