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Oscar Lewis

オスカー・ルイス

Osukā Ruisu

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1914-12-25 （New York City, United States）
Died
1970-12-16 （New York City, United States） age 55
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Judaism
Residence History
New York City (birth) → Upstate New York (raised) → University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign (work)

Career

Occupations
Anthropologist, Author, Professor
Active Years
1936-1970
Affiliations
Brooklyn College, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign
Influenced By
Ruth Benedict, Abraham Maslow (brother-in-law)

Education

City College of New York
History / History
Degree: Bachelor
Period: 1932–1936
Year of Graduation: 1936
Country: United States
Bachelor's degree in History
Columbia University
Anthropology / Anthropology
Degree: Ph.D.
Period: 1936–1940
Year of Graduation: 1940
Country: United States
Ph.D. in Anthropology. Dissertation on effects of contact between Blackfeet Indians and white people.

Awards

National Book Award (Science, Philosophy and Religion)
1967
Work: La Vida: A Puerto Rican Family in the Culture of Poverty—San Juan and New York
Category: Science, Philosophy and Religion
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

La Vida: A Puerto Rican Family in the Culture of Poverty—San Juan and New York

1966 Ethnography / Sociology

An ethnographic study documenting the life of a Puerto Rican family, illustrating Lewis's culture of poverty thesis and exploring family dynamics in urban and migrant contexts.

Culture of povertyFamilyMigration and urban life

The Children of Sánchez

1961 Ethnography / Autobiography of a family

Reconstructs the history of a poor Mexico City family using personal narratives, focusing on daily struggles and family relationships.

PovertyFamily relationsUrban marginalization
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Children of Sánchez / Hall Bartlett (1978)

A Death in the Sánchez Family

1969 Ethnography

Continuation of study of the Sánchez family, addressing a death in the family and its cultural meanings.

Death and mourningFamilySocial structure

Five Families: Mexican Case Studies in the Culture of Poverty

1959 Ethnography

Case studies of five Mexican families analyzing cultural aspects of poverty in Mexico.

Culture of povertyFamily studies

High Sierra Country

1955 Regional study / Ethnography

A regional study describing life and social structures in the Sierra region.

CommunityLivelihood

Pedro Martinez: A Mexican Peasant and His Family

1964 Ethnography

Study of a Mexican peasant and his family portraying rural life and challenges.

Rural lifeFamilyEconomic constraints

Village Life in Northern India; Studies in a Delhi village

1958 Ethnography

Study of life histories and social structure of a village near Delhi.

Village studiesSocial structure

Bibliography

  • High Sierra Country (1955)
  • Village Life in Northern India; Studies in a Delhi village (1958)
  • Five Families; Mexican Case Studies in the Culture of Poverty (1959)
  • Life in a Mexican Village; Tepoztlán restudied (1960; first ed. 1951)
  • The Children of Sánchez, Autobiography of a Mexican Family (1961)
  • Pedro Martinez - A Mexican Peasant and His Family (1964)
  • La Vida; A Puerto Rican Family in the Culture of Poverty—San Juan and New York (1966)
  • A Death in the Sánchez Family (1969)

Adaptations

  • Film adaptation of The Children of Sánchez (1978, dir. Hall Bartlett)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Ethnographic narrativeDetailed life descriptions based on participant observationCompilation and reconstruction of oral accounts
Recurring Motifs
Culture of povertyFamily narrativesUrban marginalizationIntergenerational cultural transmission

Health

  • Heart failure
    1970
    Died of heart failure in 1970

Legacy

Lewis is best known for his "culture of poverty" theory and vivid ethnographic portrayals of urban poor families. His work had significant influence but also generated controversy over methods, ethics, and generalization.

Academic Societies

  • American Anthropological Association (likely)

Archives

  • Oscar Lewis and Ruth Lewis Papers (University of Illinois Archives)

In Popular Culture

  • Film adaptation of The Children of Sánchez (1978)

Quotes

  • “The culture of poverty is both an adaptation and a reaction of the poor classes to their marginal position in a class-stratified, highly individualistic, capitalistic society.”
    Source: Lewis's writings (notably expressed in works such as La Vida) (1966)

Trivia

  • Born Lefkowitz (original family name).
  • Son of a rabbi.
  • Died of heart failure in New York City in 1970 and buried at New Montefiore Cemetery.