The study of blacks in Cuba, as in the case of other so-called "minorities," encounters obstacles from the very beginning. It is well known that we have not reached the stage ofdevelopment in Cuban social sciences to deal with this subject adequately. In contrast to highly developed studies in medicine and biotechnology, Cuban social sciences have been subject to the prejudices of Eastern European research interests and the legendary indolence towards studying racial attitutdes born with the Spanish colonization. These obstacles are compounded by Cuban subordination to the United States until 1959. Spanish and U.S. policies alike were directed at maintaining the Black Cuban population as second class citizens.