New Books Network Karen Dubinsky, "Strangely, Friends: A History of Cuban-Canadian Encounters" (Between the Lines, 2025)
Mar 8, 2026
Karen Dubinsky, Professor of History at Queen's University, explores Cuban-Canadian personal and cultural connections. She recounts how teaching in Havana sparked the book. Short portraits cover Canadians in Cuba, NGOs and educational exchanges, and thriving musical collaborations that shaped recognition in Canada. She reflects on contemporary crises and ongoing research tracing Cuban musicians across Canada.
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People To People Ties Outlast State Politics
- Soft power people-to-people ties persist even when state diplomacy is hostile or invisible.
- Karen Dubinsky observed this firsthand teaching Canadian students in Havana and watching cultural encounters with musicians and filmmakers unfold.
Diverse Pre 1959 Canadian Stories In Cuba
- Canadians in Cuba included tourists, wealthy expatriates, artists, and banking families before and after 1959.
- Karen profiles examples like Leonard Cohen's narrow escape after the Bay of Pigs and Harry Tanner, a banker's son who became a Cuban filmmaker and artist.
CUSO Built Lasting Engineering Capacity
- CUSO succeeded where many development NGOs failed by building Cuban trust and helping establish an engineering school.
- Canadian professors ran short graduate-style courses to train Cuban engineers how to teach and run programs.
