This is a study of Cuban-American popular Catholicism, focusing on the shrine of Our Lady of Charity in Miami, which is the sacred centre of the Cuban community in exile. Tweed uses historical and ethnographic methods to discover why the shrine attained so much importance and attracts so many visitors, and what it can tell us about larger issues of religion, identity, and place.

"Our Lady of the Exile is a valuable contribution to the growing literature on Catholic and folk devotional religion. It will spark fruitful discussion in courses on popular religion and/or Latino history and religiosity."--Church History "...the careful research and analysis presented in this volume make it a valuable source for scholars and students of Latino religion and religious studies generally, as well as American and ethnic studies, anthropology, and American Catholicism."--Catholic Historical Review "...the careful research and analysis presented in this volume make it a valuable source for scholars and students of Latino religion and religious studies generally, as well as American and ethnic studies, anthropology, and American Catholicism."--The Catholic Historical Review "The book is a welcome addition to the growing literature on popular religion in the United States....This book will be appealing to students of the Cuban experience in the United States and to professors seeking a text that provides ethnographic details on a contemporary religious experience of one of the larger Latino groups in the United States."--Sociology of Religion "Tweed's sophisticated book explores the ways in which Cuban-Americans construct memory, identity, and notions of utopia through symbolic and religious resources provided by the devotion to Our Lady of Charity of Cobre, the patroness of Cuba, and more specifically, by the shrine built in her honor in Miami....Tweed's approach and theoretical apparatus are truly innovative. In addition to his ethnohistorical approach, he reintroduces space and material culture to the study of religion in the Americas."--Religious Studies Review "His interest in the subject and his commitment to authenticity and honesty in his analysis prove beyond any doubt that Tweed wanted to provide a thoroughly researched work in the field of religious studies....In essence, Tweed has been able to synthesize in 142 pages a scholarly work of a sensitive nature with accuracy and gentleness."--Journal of Hispanic/Latino Theology "Our Lady of the Exile is a valuable contribution to the growing literature on Catholic and folk devotional religion. It will spark fruitful discussion in courses on popular religion and/or Latino history and religiosity."--Church History "...the careful research and analysis presented in this volume make it a valuable source for scholars and students of Latino religion and religious studies generally, as well as American and ethnic studies, anthropology, and American Catholicism."--Catholic Historical Review "...the careful research and analysis presented in this volume make it a valuable source for scholars and students of Latino religion and religious studies generally, as well as American and ethnic studies, anthropology, and American Catholicism."--The Catholic Historical Review "The book is a welcome addition to the growing literature on popular religion in the United States....This book will be appealing to students of the Cuban experience in the United States and to professors seeking a text that provides ethnographic details on a contemporary religious experience of one of the larger Latino groups in the United States."--Sociology of Religion