Dilemmas of a Golden Exile: Integration of Cuban Refugee Families in Milwaukee

The Cuban Revolution removed the old upper and middle strata from their dominant positions. Many of these people came to the U.S. with the intention of overthrowing Castro and returning to Cuba. After 1962, however, they had to start resettling in U.S. communities. This paper examines their integration as a fundamental shift from strong psychological attachments to the past to values and identities congruent with the new environment. Among 48 refugee families in Milwaukee, it was found that integration is strongly influenced by relative level of present socioeconomic rewards. Results are interpreted as consequences of the rational-individualistic ethic characterizing families from these formerly dominant sectors of Cuba.