Haitian Studies Association

Past Conferences

2020 Conference – Town Hall

TOWN HALL / RASANBLEMAN 

Saturday, October 10

5:10-6:50 p.m. Eastern Time

 

Moments such as the current intersectional crisis oblige scholars and professionals to do more than talk or write. We are compelled to come together to think critically and productively about how theory and practice intertwine and how to incite meaningful change.

This conference is an opportunity for conversations across advocacy NGOs, policymakers, and international institutions who will benefit from the reservoir of interdisciplinary knowledge that H.S.A. has been filling for over 30 years. How did we do? How can we evaluate ourselves individually and collectively?

This Town Hall is an opportunity for members to deliberate on these urgent questions about our praxis as individual scholar/practitioners/artists as well as the association. What role should H.S.A. be playing? How do we get there?

We will use the Zoom platform to facilitate a bottom-up conversation, with small group discussions, addressing the following urgent questions:

  1. What is Haitian Studies’ relationship to Black Studies? To ethnic studies overall? Or is Haitian Studies area studies? As board member Nadège Clitandre inspires us, Haitian Studies informs global studies. Do we as an association need to come to clarity about our identity? How do we signal this to the outside world?
  2. Given the changes in higher education as an institution, certainly with the evisceration of funding, exasperated by COVID, scholarly associations such as ours need to adapt, and quickly. What should H.S.A. be doing?
  3. How does H.S.A. support our members in Haiti? Does it? What can be done better?
  4. How does H.S.A. facilitate truly interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration? Does it? What can be done better?
  5. How does H.S.A. facilitate activism and real-world engagement? Does it? What can be done better?
  6. What barriers do you see to this engagement? How can we as an association overcome or undercut them?

Se moman tankou kriz ente-seksyonnèl la oblije chèchè ak pwofesyonèl fè plis bagay ke sèlman pase pale oubyen ekri met la. Nou santi obligasyon pou n rasanble pou panse nan yon fason kritik epi kreyatif sou kijan teyori ak pratik makonnen epi kijan pou enspire yon chanjman reyèl.

Kòlòk 2020 H.S.A. a se yon opòtinite pou konvèsasyon yo ki travèse ONG kap fè pledwari, moun kap ekri politik, epi enstitisyon entènasyonal ki pral benefisye basen/sitèn konesans entè-disiplinè H.S.A. te ranpli pou plis pase 30 lane. Kijan nou ka evalye tèt nou kòm grenn moun epi kolektif?

Rasanbleman sa a se yon opòtinite pou manm yo kap brase lidè anvè kesyon ijan yo anvè praksis nou antanke chèchè/pwofesyonèl/atis kòm endividyèl epi Asosyasyon an? Ki wòl H.S.A. ta dwe jwe? Kijan nou ka rive la?

Nou pral sèvi ak platfòm Zoom nan pou n fasilite yon konvèsasyon patisipativ, avèk ti gwoup, ki ap adrese kesyon ijan sila yo:

  1. Ki relasyon Etid Ayisyen avèk Etid Nwa? Avèk etid etnik yo anjeneral? Oubyen èske Etid Ayisyen yon etid rejyonal? Jan manm Konsèy Nadège Clitandre enspire nou, Etid Ayisyen enfòme etid mondyal la. Èske kòm yon Asosyasyon nou ta dwe klarifye idantite nou? Kijan nou ka siyale sa a pou lemonn?
  2. Lè nou konsidere chanjman enstitisyon inivèsite yo, sitou apre COVID te efondre finansman nou, asosyasyon akademik yo tankou nou menm dwe chanje, epi chanje vit. Kisa H.S.A. ta dwe fè?
  3. Kijan H.S.A. sipòte manm nou ann Ayiti? Èske li fèt vreman? Kisa ki kapab fèt pi byen?
  4. Kijan H.S.A. fasilite dyalòg entè-disiplinè tout bon vre? Èske li fèt vreman? Kisa ki kapab fèt pi byen?
  5. Kijan H.S.A. fasilite aksyon militan epi angajman reyèl? Èske li fèt vreman? Kisa ki kapab fèt pi byen?
  6. Ki barye w wè pou angajman sa a? Kijan nou kòm yon asosyasyon elimine yo?