Podcast Summary: New Books Network

Episode: Susan M. Rigdon, "Oscar Lewis in Cuba: La Partida Final" (Berghahn Books, 2024)

Host: Katie Coldiron
Guest: Dr. Susan M. Rigdon
Release Date: September 12, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Katie Coldiron interviews Dr. Susan M. Rigdon about her new book, Oscar Lewis in Cuba: La Partida Final. The conversation explores the origins, challenges, and controversies of the Lewis's Cuba Project—a landmark but ultimately curtailed anthropological investigation of Cuban society after the revolution. Rigdon, as the project’s closest surviving insider, offers an in-depth look at how research in authoritarian contexts unfolds, the politics of surveillance, the personal dynamics within the Lewis research team, and the difficult aftermath of the project’s abrupt termination.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins and Motivation for the Book

Timestamps: 01:41 – 03:35

• Rigdon aimed to correct persistent factual errors about the Lewis Cuba Project and to satisfy personal curiosity about why the research was shut down prematurely.
  • “I wanted to write an account of the project from the inside…to correct all of the errors in print and…to solve a detective story.” (Susan Rigdon, 01:53)

2. Rigdon’s Unique Relationship to the Lewises

Timestamps: 03:35 – 07:51

• Met the Lewis family through mutual academic connections at the University of Illinois.
• Worked closely with Ruth Lewis, especially in writing up project data and archiving the papers.
  • “I suppose I’m the only person left on Earth now who does [know all the material].” (Susan Rigdon, 07:28)

3. Background on Oscar and Ruth Lewis & Their Work

Timestamps: 07:51 – 12:54

• Oscar and Ruth were a team since early academic days; Oscar renowned in anthropology, Ruth crucial as co-author/editor though often uncredited.
• Their interests evolved from studying American Indian communities, to Mexican and Indian villages, to poverty studies, and finally to Cuba after the revolution.

4. Genesis of the Cuba Project

Timestamps: 13:24 – 16:59

• Oscar was deeply motivated to study revolutions, seeing the Cuban context as critical for understanding societal transformation.
• Persistent lobbying finally yielded permission to enter Cuba, with support from well-connected intermediaries.
  • “He just exhausted every resource…contacting people to try to get permission.” (Rigdon, 14:25)
  • C. Wright Mills’s visit heightened Oscar’s desire for access.

5. Early Challenges and Initial Progress

Timestamps: 17:08 – 22:19

• The project encountered resistance and bureaucratic hurdles from its onset.
• After initial delays, once political tensions eased, the project flourished, training Cuban student fieldworkers alongside experienced internationals.
• Increasing friction among the field team led to restructuring.

6. Surveillance and Control by Cuban Authorities

Timestamps: 22:19 – 27:57

• Unknown to the Lewises, the Cuban team reported daily to State Security.
• Widespread surveillance: house staff, the local revolutionary committee, protocol house placements.
• Ruth found the enforced formality and omnipresent staff oppressive; Oscar was more cavalier.
  • “Sometimes she talked to the chandelier in the dining room. Assuming, you know, there were taps.” (Rigdon, 23:40)

7. Escalating Difficulties and Cancelling Support

Timestamps: 27:57 – 37:13

• Atmosphere shifted markedly after the suicide of a Communist youth leader linked to the team. Support from key government officials waned.
• Aggravating factors:
  • Failure of the “10 million ton harvest” campaign.
  • Growing foreign criticism of the revolution.
  • Oscar’s interviews with politically connected anti-revolutionaries (seen as crossing a line by authorities).
• The exact authority behind the project's termination remains unknown, with speculation on whether the order came from Fidel Castro, Raúl Castro, or Manuel Piñeiro.

8. Termination and Aftermath of the Project

Timestamps: 38:00 – 45:34

• The Lewises were prevented from leaving as scheduled, subjected to accusations (Ford Foundation funding, use of Israeli diplomatic pouches, interviewing Communist youth), and had research materials confiscated.
• After several days and interrogations, they were released, and some materials eventually returned.
  • “Almost all of them just totally made up charges to give a reason to end the research permission.” (Rigdon, 41:00)
• The Cuban and foreign staff were not deported, contrary to some published accounts.

9. Attempts to Recover Confiscated Materials

Timestamps: 45:39 – 52:28

• Oscar and later Ruth made repeated, unsuccessful efforts to retrieve seized research.
• Contacts through Cuban institutions, US senators, and diplomatic channels all failed, except for a brief acknowledgment from a friend at La Casa de las Américas.

10. Lessons for Research in Authoritarian Contexts

Timestamps: 52:28 – 60:18

• Rigdon reflects (from her own and Ruth’s perspective) that projects should undergo external ethical scrutiny before proceeding, particularly in repressive environments.
• Fieldworkers must be realistic about government oversight and risks to informants; complete transparency with ethics committees is advised.
• “You just can’t go into a research situation if you think [arrest of informants] is going to be the consequence, no matter how valuable you think the data might be.” (Rigdon, 58:38)

11. Current and Future Work

Timestamps: 60:50 – 66:11

• Rigdon is completing a rewrite of the abandoned Puerto Rico manuscript, debating the possibility and ethics of generalizing from a small family sample to the wider society.
  • “What’s the point of research if you can’t write about people who aren’t you? ... The whole world would just be memoirs and autobiography.” (Rigdon, 65:47)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It was like a puzzle I wanted to solve—a detective story.” (Rigdon, 02:20)
• “Every graduate student in the 1960s knew who Oscar Lewis was if they were in the social sciences or humanities.” (Rigdon, 03:54)
• “Oscar immediately wanted to go there to study [the revolution].… He just exhausted every resource… contacting people to try to get permission.” (Rigdon, 14:01/14:25)
• “The Lewis’s never knew… the Cuban field team were spying on [them]… reporting on them daily to State Security.” (Rigdon, 22:43)
• “If Oscar and Ruth had known [about informant surveillance], that would have been the end of the project right there.” (Rigdon, 23:01)
• “I have no insight into the thinking of the inner, inner circle. That’s the thing about this stuff. You can believe anything. Do you have proof?” (Rigdon, 35:15)
• “They were actually held up.… They had to go through that material and decide whether he was a spy or not.” (Rigdon, 40:12)
• “As a political scientist, I’m always committed to the analysis, you know—yes, but what does it all mean?” (Rigdon, 61:04)
• "What's the point of research if you can't write about people who aren't you? ... The whole world would just be memoirs and autobiography and I think we've got plenty of that." (Rigdon, 65:47)

Key Takeaways

• The Lewis Cuba Project was both a model of ambitious social science fieldwork and a cautionary tale about research under authoritarian regimes.
• Deep personal commitment and careful groundwork could not ultimately insulate even the most prestigious researchers from political risk and surveillance.
• The fate of the research material—and the implications for informant safety and scholarly legacy—underscore ongoing ethical dilemmas for fieldwork in closed societies.
• Rigdon’s account provides not only a historical corrective but also essential insight for anyone contemplating research in high-risk global contexts.

For additional information:
The book Oscar Lewis in Cuba: La Partida Final (Berghahn Books, 2024) is available for purchase.