The Haiti Reader: History, Culture, Politics

by Laurent DuBois (Editor), Kaiama L Glover (Editor), Nadïve Mïnard (Editor), Millery Polynï (Editor), Chantalle F Verna (Editor)

Overview

While Haiti established the second independent nation in the Western Hemisphere and was the first black country to gain independence from European colonizers, its history is not well known in the Anglophone world. The Haiti Reader introduces readers to Haiti's dynamic history and culture from the viewpoint of Haitians from all walks of life. Its dozens of selections--most of which appear here in English for the first time--are representative of Haiti's scholarly, literary, religious, visual, musical, and political cultures, and range from poems, novels, and political tracts to essays, legislation, songs, and folk tales. Spanning the centuries between precontact indigenous Haiti and the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, the Reader covers widely known episodes in Haiti's history, such as the U.S. military occupation and the Duvalier dictatorship, as well as overlooked periods such as the decades immediately following Haiti's "second independence" in 1934. Whether examining issues of political upheaval, the environment, or modernization, The Haiti Reader provides an unparalleled look at Haiti's history, culture, and politics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781478006770
Publisher:	Duke University Press
Publication date:	01/20/2020
Series:	Latin America Readers
Pages:	544
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Laurent Dubois is Professor of Romance Studies and History at Duke University.

Kaiama L. Glover is Professor of French and Africana Studies at Barnard College.

Nadève Ménard is Professor of Literature at the École Normale Supérieure, Université d'État d'Haïti.

Millery Polyné is Associate Professor of History at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University.

Chantalle F. Verna is Associate Professor of History and International Relations at Florida International University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments  xiii
Introduction  1
I. Foundations  7
II. The Second Generation  67
III. The Birth of Modern-Day Haiti 127
IV. Occupied Haiti (1915–1934)  177
V. Second Independence  251
VI. The Duvalier Years  307
VII. Overthrow and the Aftermath of Duvalier  389
VIII. Haiti in the New Millennium  449
Suggestions for Further Reading and Viewing  513
Acknowledgment of Copyrights and Sources  519
Index 527

What People are Saying About This

Because When God Is Too Busy: Haiti, Me, and the World - Gina Athena Ulysse

“Bravo to this editorial collective! With its span from early history to the present, this reader is set to demolish the distorted myths from reality in ways that will undoubtedly disrupt the incessant narratives of exceptionalism plaguing the first Black Republic. This is a revelatory and textured collection of Haitian modernity that brings more of Haitian studies out of exile into the world, and which will become referential for years to come, both in and out of the classroom.”

Brother, I'm Dying - Edwidge Danticat

“The Haiti Reader is a remarkable resource for all those who want to learn more about Haiti and its history, politics, literature and culture. Filled with primary sources, some translated here for the first time, this book is a vital and urgently needed guide to an often maligned and misunderstood yet magnificent country.”

Editorial Reviews

Bravo to this editorial collective! With its span from early history to the present, this reader is set to demolish the distorted myths from reality in ways that will undoubtedly disrupt the incessant narratives of exceptionalism plaguing the first Black Republic. This is a revelatory and textured collection of Haitian modernity that brings more of Haitian studies out of exile into the world, and which will become referential for years to come, both in and out of the classroom.

Because When God Is Too Busy: Haiti, Me, and the World - Gina Athena Ulysse

"Those who have not had the pleasure of browsing a Haitian bookstore, combing through archives on Haiti, or taking a class on Haitian writers… will find that The Haiti Reader provides a helpful and well-curated sampler of Haitian thought, literature, and history.… This book is a gift to the English-language world and provides a taste of the richness of Haitian thought and experience since the revolutionary founding of the nation."

Journal of Historical Geography - Anna Versulis

“The Haiti Reader is an excellent introduction to Haitian culture, literature, and history. The volume is diverse and interdisciplinary in its content, scope, and ambition. . . . It will become the standard anthology on Haiti.

Early American Literature - Celucien L. Joseph

"This well-crafted and welcome addition includes a carefully chosen selection of about 80 mostly short but telling entries on Haiti. . . . This book will prove invaluable for anyone researching Haiti’s past and its recent present across the usual political, social, and cultural dimensions."

Choice - R. I. Rotberg

The Haiti Reader is a remarkable resource for all those who want to learn more about Haiti and its history, politics, literature and culture. Filled with primary sources, some translated here for the first time, this book is a vital and urgently needed guide to an often maligned and misunderstood yet magnificent country.

Brother, I'm Dying - Edwidge Danticat

The strength of The Haiti Reader is the way humanities and history are blended to paint a more complete image of Haiti and its cultural significance in the US.... This accessible text is a must for anyone wishing to learn about Haiti from a Haitian/diasporic perspective."

E3W Review of Books - Tia K. Butler

"The Haiti Reader is an excellent introduction to Haitian culture, literature, and history. The volume is diverse and interdisciplinary in its content, scope, and ambition. . . . It will become the standard anthology on Haiti."--Celucien L. Joseph "Early American Literature" (11/1/2022 12:00:00 AM)

"The strength of The Haiti Reader is the way humanities and history are blended to paint a more complete image of Haiti and its cultural significance in the US.... This accessible text is a must for anyone wishing to learn about Haiti from a Haitian/diasporic perspective."

--Tia K. Butler "E3W Review of Books" (5/1/2021 12:00:00 AM)

"Those who have not had the pleasure of browsing a Haitian bookstore, combing through archives on Haiti, or taking a class on Haitian writers... will find that The Haiti Reader provides a helpful and well-curated sampler of Haitian thought, literature, and history.... This book is a gift to the English-language world and provides a taste of the richness of Haitian thought and experience since the revolutionary founding of the nation."--Anna Versulis "Journal of Historical Geography" (10/1/2020 12:00:00 AM)

"This well-crafted and welcome addition includes a carefully chosen selection of about 80 mostly short but telling entries on Haiti. . . . This book will prove invaluable for anyone researching Haiti's past and its recent present across the usual political, social, and cultural dimensions."--R. I. Rotberg "Choice" (7/1/2020 12:00:00 AM)

"The Haiti Reader is a remarkable resource for all those who want to learn more about Haiti and its history, politics, literature and culture. Filled with primary sources, some translated here for the first time, this book is a vital and urgently needed guide to an often maligned and misunderstood yet magnificent country."--Edwidge Danticat, author of "Brother, I'm Dying"

"Bravo to this editorial collective! With its span from early history to the present, this reader is set to demolish the distorted myths from reality in ways that will undoubtedly disrupt the incessant narratives of exceptionalism plaguing the first Black Republic. This is a revelatory and textured collection of Haitian modernity that brings more of Haitian studies out of exile into the world, and which will become referential for years to come, both in and out of the classroom."--Gina Athena Ulysse, author of "Because When God Is Too Busy: Haiti, Me, and the World"

From the Publisher