Category: Uncategorized
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Negritude in Motion: Katherine Dunham’s Legacy in Haitian Dance (part II)
(Read Part I here) In addition, Dunham’s students, such as Lavinia Williams, later exerted a tremendous influence on Haitian dance by teaching formal technique in Haiti. Williams, invited by Estimé’s successor, Paul Magloire, was trained in classical technique and used her training to categorize and professionalize Haitian folkloric dance. Williams added floor stretches, body conditioning, ballet…
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Negritude in Motion: Katherine Dunham’s Legacy in Haitian Dance (part I)
African American dancer, anthropologist, and choreographer Katherine Dunham enjoyed a lengthy relationship with Haiti. Beginning with her travels as a student at the University of Chicago in the 1930s, Dunham retained her connections to the island for the rest of her life. Moreover, Haiti, the subject of her memoir, Island Possessed, illustrates how important the Black Republic…
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Frankétienne
Hommage à Frankétienne : Un géant de la littérature haïtienne s’éteint Comme beaucoup, nous avons appris hier la disparation poète, écrivain et figure emblématique de la littérature haïtienne Frankétienne. Né le 12 avril 1936 dans le Nord d’Haïti, sa plume, empreinte de passion et d’engagement ont marqué des générations de lecteurs, tant en Haïti qu’à…
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Rosalvo Bobo, nationalism and the US Marine Occupation of Haiti
Well before the US Occupation of Haïti, Rosalvo Bobo was hailed as leader and proud nationalist among elite and international circles, while garnering the ire and even threats to his life from American operatives in Haïti. He was a deft politician with a clear insight into the geopolitical reality of early 20th century Haïti, including an understanding…
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231 Years Ago, the French Convention Abolished Slavery
On February 4, 1794, the French National Convention made a radical decision: it abolished slavery in all its colonies. Enslaved people, who had been legally classified as biens meubles (property under French law), were now recognized as French citizens. The decree formalized changes that were already underway in Saint-Domingue (modern-day Haiti), where enslaved people had…
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Inca past and symbolism in 18th century Saint-Domingue (part II)
(See part I, here) In order to better understand how this process worked in the Haitian context, a closer examination of how free people of color and black Creoles related to indigeneity is necessary. According to Haitian historian Beauvais Lespinasse, free people of color sometimes sought patents to be recognized as having Indian rather than…
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Inca past and symbolism in 18th century Saint-Domingue (part I)
One of the most peculiar developments near the end of the Haitian Revolution was the adoption of the name Inca and children of the Sun by Jean-Jacques Dessalines. According to historian Thomas Madiou, Dessalines began using the name by the autumn of 1802, referring to those who submitted to him in opposition to the forces…
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Meet the Admin: David!
IntroductionIn 2013, I (Virginie) launched the Haitian History Blog on Tumblr with the intention of creating a platform for lively, yet scholarly-based discussions about Haiti. The goal was never to transform it into a rigid academic endeavor, nor to cover every facet of Haiti’s complex history. Over time, however, the blog evolved from its initial…
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Jean Price-Mars et la Révolution haïtienne : Entre héroïsme collectif et complexité historique
Analyse d’un extrait de vidéo de Jean Price-Mars Jean-Price Mars (1876-1969) demeure l’un des penseurs les plus célébrés du XXe siècle haïtien, tant dans l’historiographie haïtienne que dans la mémoire populaire. L’homme aux multiples talents, qui fit une carrière diplomatique au tournant du dernier siècle et une carrière politique dans les années 1930[1], est surtout connu…
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Gérard de Catalogne et l’édition canadienne-française : un Haïtien au centre d’une crise, 1941-1948
Gérard de Catalogne (1905-1974), journaliste franco-haïtien et propagateur d’idées fascistes, établit dans les années 1940 un réseau transatlantique singulier, faisant du Québec un trait d’union inattendu dans la circulation d’idéologies d’extrême droite entre Haïti, la France et la province canadienne. Mais comment ce fils du nord d’Haïti et ancien membre de l’Action française — l’étendard de…