H.S.A.’s 35th Annual Conference – Call for Papers

Ayiti se tè glise illuminates the notion that Haiti is an eternally shifting landscape. Haitians continuously move within their nation and also migrate to diasporic spaces. This adage also alludes to conflicting paradigms for Haitians in and beyond Haiti as they negotiate various cultural identities and navigate their liminality (i.e. Haitian-American, Haitian-Canadian, Haitian-Bahamian, Haitian-Dominican, etc.).

CALL FOR PAPERS: Journal of Haitian Studies Special Issue (Apr. 15, 2023)

This special issue emerges from the Sexualities Working Group of the Haitian Studies Association, a group of Haitian and U.S. American scholars and practitioners who have, since 2015 in different configurations, mobilized in coalition toward the rights to live creatively for Haitian LGBTQ/M-community, Vodouyizan, and all those who do not conform to sexual/gendered norms. Responding to a call made by our Haitian activist interlocutors to support their on-the-ground endeavors through increased dissemination of research on the construction and performance of genders and sexualities in Haiti, the editorial collective hopes this special issue will document, share, and collectivize mutual commitments to bolstering the work of queer crusaders and all those who dare to live creatively in Haiti and its diasporas.

CALL FOR PAPERS: Haiti and Africa: Unearthing and Exploring the Roots, Connections, and Possibilities (Feb. 15, 2023)

The keynote presentation, panels and roundtables will focus on the historical connections between Haiti and Africa, and the cultural, political, social, and economic specificities of Haiti that derive directly and indirectly from those connections. The conference will explore how the transatlantic slave trade and the colonial era, through the revolutionary and the post- independence shape contemporary Haitian realities. Papers will also seek parallels and intersections among contemporary Haitian and African realities as emergence of shared colonial and neocolonial experiences, and take stock of current intellectual, cultural, political, and economic links and gaps between Haiti and Africa.

H.S.A. Town Hall Meeting (Dec. 10, 2022)

Before we wrap up the 2022 year of programming, members are invited to join us for our annual Town Hall meeting. We will update you on the results of the recent Board elections, the status of the HSA committee in Haiti, and our priorities for the upcoming year. Most of all, we want to hear from you as we reflect on where we are as an organization approaching our 35th year, and where we want to be in the next 5 – 10 years. There will be breakout rooms for English, French and Haitian Creole speakers.

Giving Tuesday 2022

The proverb says: “Anpil men chay pa lou” [With many hands the load is lighter]. As an academic organization, HSA continues to provide ongoing programs to help us remain connected to scholarship in Haiti and stay aware of current events. We also offer important information to our membership, Haitian scholars and others interested in Haiti. November 29, 2022 is Giving Tuesday. We ask you to consider donating to HSA in whatever capacity you can. Bay piti pa di chich. [Anything you give is appreciated].
Mèsi anpil! Thank you!

2022 Call for Nominations for the H.S.A. Board (Nov. 7, 2022)

The members of the Board of Directors of the Haitian Studies Association are elected by the general membership by electronic balloting and serve a three-year term. Board members can be re-elected for additional terms. The Board is composed of elected members (including a student representative), and advisory members who, in turn, elect the officers of the board. The elected officers of the Board of Directors are the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The Advisory Board is comprised of the current Executive Director, the immediate Past President, and the Editor of the Journal of Haitian Studies (JOHS). Collectively, these members are the governing body of the Haitian Studies Association. 

Call For HSA Award Nominations (Aug. 14, 2022)

The Haitian Studies Association is seeking nominations for several 2022 awards. Award recipients will be honored at the 34th Annual HSA Conference in Washington, DC from October 7-9, 2022.

The Awards Committee is accepting nominations for: Award for Excellence, Award for Service, The Florence Bellande Robertson Award.

Call for HSA Digital Fellow

The Haitian Studies Association (HSA) is seeking a Digital Fellow to help expand and develop the Association’s digital platforms. The fellowship’s responsibilities include: Managing the HSA Open-Access Platform, a curated digital platform where HSA members can freely share and access their publications. Supporting the production and dissemination of public scholarship, including the creation of a Decolonizing Haitian Studies syllabus. Helping ensure that information is posted to social media in an effective and timely manner. Membership and participation in the HSA’s Growth and Futures committee. Other related duties as assigned.

Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education – Call for Proposals (June 30, 2022)

The Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education (JCIHE) has announced a call for Special Issue Summer 2023: The Road Towards UNESCO’s Sustainable Goals Amidst the Pandemic of Covid -19 in Latin America and the Caribbean Higher Education Special Issue guest editors: Pilar Mendoza, Associate Professor, University of Missouri, mendozamp@missouri.edu Santiago Castiello-Gutiérrez, (Incoming) Assistant Professor, Seton Hall […]

34th Annual Conference – Call for Papers

After two years of planning, we are excited to announce that our 34th Annual Haitian Studies Association Conference will be held in-person in Washington, D.C. We invite you to join us from October 7 – 9, 2022 at Howard University to consider various manifestations and sites of mawonaj/ marronage in Haiti, in Haitian Studies, and throughout the African diaspora. Even before independence, the rich and complex history of mawonaj/ marronage in Haiti was a prime example of collective efforts to challenge displacement, assimilation, and cultural erasure. The multiple geographies of resistance where oppressed groups struggle against domination, assert their agency, and claim space are evidence of the continuing significance and complexity of this phenomenon. 

Dr. Paul Farmer, a great friend of Haiti has died

The Haitian Studies Association (H.S.A) mourns the passing of Dr. Paul Farmer on Monday February 21,2022 in Butaro, Rwanda.
Dr. Farmer was an American physician and global health leader. A great friend of Haiti, Dr. Farmer was a benefactor to the Haitian people.
We honor the life of this extraordinarily generous physician who worked relentlessly to create more health parity in Haiti, in Rwanda and throughout the world. The organization “Zanmi Lasante” he created, his work in Cange in the Plateau Central, and the ultra-modern public Hospital of Mirebalais are among his most important gifts to Haiti.

2021 Nominations for the H.S.A. Board (Student Representative)

There shall be a designated student member. The student representative will serve from January 2022 to December 2023 and will complete the three-year term of the previous student member who was only able to serve one year.  The nominee must have attended two out of the last five Haitian Studies Association Conferences and be a member in good standing and must demonstrate a potential for making contributions to the field of Haitian Studies. In the event that the student member is no longer a student, they will continue to serve as a board member until the next scheduled election. The student representative will receive an established and set stipend to attend the HSA annual meeting.

A Call to Action: justice for Haitian people at the U.S border

We are a collective of Black and professional academic organizations and activist formations that stand in solidarity as we advocate for the humane treatment of Haitian asylum seekers at the Texas border. Almost 15,000 Haitian migrants are camped in Texas after crossing from Mexico because current U.S. policies do not protect their human right to present their cases for asylum to border officials. We say NO to acts of violence and dehumanization by the United States government and its agents toward Haitian refugees and undocumented migrants. This treatment is being meted out to them, in our assessment, because of anti-Black racism and odious racialized stereotypes about Blackness, Haitianness, and immigrant identity. We refuse to remain silent in the face of the devastation being experienced by Haitian people. The color of their skin should not be used against them.

Important Update & Changes to our Annual Conference

With heavy hearts we write to inform you that after careful deliberation and surveying presenters, we have made the difficult decision to go online with our 2021 annual conference this year. Plans are already underway to work with local organizations to meet in Washington face-to-face in 2022. We will also announce the 2023 conference location during this year’s online business meeting.

The Delta variant and the rise in hospitalizations for COVID, the concerns that parents or other caregivers have for people with complications and / or who cannot be vaccinated, coupled with the increasing restrictions universities and other organizations are placing against travel, are making it increasingly challenging for everyone. Above all, HSA is looking out for the safety and wellbeing of its members.