An Island in the Chain: Haitian and Dominican Relations in the 21st Century (Jan. 12, 2023)

Traditional analyses of Haitian-Dominican relations accentuate the white supremacist anti-Black discourses and practices in the Dominican Republic that target “Haitian-looking” people. This panel will historicize Dominican state-sanctioned violence against its Black denizens by exposing its political and economic roots and the complicity of the U.S. and Haitian states. And most importantly, the panel will also showcase the resistance of organized groups on both sides of the island and their respective diasporas.

Emerging Scholars Café (Dec. 9, 2022)

The Emerging Scholars Committee would like to invite you to its last Emerging Scholars Café for the year on December 9, 2022 at 2:00 pm EDT on Zoom. 
We welcome Samantha Schifano, doctoral student at University of Buffalo, to present “Caribbean/Eco-Criticism/French Literature” and Jameson Léopold, masters student at Université de Toulouse, on the topic “The implementation of a public policy to prevent the brain drain from Haiti.” We also welcome Dr Cécile Accilien, professor at Kennesaw State University, as commentator for this panel. Presentations will be in English and French followed by a discussion in all three languages (English, Creole, French). We look forward to having you with us.

Emerging Scholars Café (Oct.14, 2022)

The Emerging Scholars Committee would like to invite you to its next Emerging Scholars Café on October 14, 2022 at 2:00 p.m./East on Zoom. We welcome Dr. Glodel Mezilas to present on the haitian crisis; Websder Corneille, degree in applied linguistics, on the topic “Coupé Cloué, ambiguïté, musique populaire” The event will take place on zoom. We also welcome Dr. Joos Vincent as commentator for this panel. Presentations will be in English an french followed by a discussion in all three languages (English, Creole, French). We look forward to having you with us.

Virtual Advocacy Training – Using your power to positively influence U.S. foreign policy (Oct. 6, 2022)

For starters—what is policy advocacy and how is it different from, and complementary to, political activism? How can you leverage your power to influence U.S. foreign policy toward Haiti? Moreover, working for justice on any issue, including through policy advocacy, is an exhausting process, as so many different issues are pressing for our time and attention. Learn how to craft an advocacy strategy that also acknowledges the need for self-care and maintaining energy for long-term, effective engagement. Attendees will come away with best practices for advocacy and a deeper understanding of various advocacy tools and how to use them.

Emerging Scholars Café (Sept. 9, 2022)

The Emerging Scholars Committee would like to invite you to its first ever Emerging Scholars Café on September 9, 2022 at 2:00 p.m./East on Zoom. We welcome Dr. Felix Jean-Louis to present on Haitian Internationalism in the Age of Global Blackness; and Willie Mack, PhD candidate in History, on the topic of Triple Minority: Haitian “Boat People,” Policing, and Mass Incarceration in New York City. The event will take place on zoom. We also welcome Dr. Kiran Jayaram as a commentator for this panel. Presentations will be in English followed by a discussion in all three languages (English, Creole, French). We look forward to having you with us.

Emerging Scholars Roundtable: Thinking Creatively through COVID (Aug. 20, 2022)

The Emerging Scholars committee of the Haitian Studies Association invite you to participate in our series of mentorship activities where we will reflect on key topics and issues for emerging scholars.

In August, we will present how scholars reclaimed their time during the pandemic, learned new skills, and created new initiatives that enhanced their personal and professional lives.  We will also discuss how to highlight new COVID talents for prospective job and research opportunities.

The moderated discussion will be in English with translation and followed by Kreyol summary between panelists.

Jean-Jacques Dessalines: The Man Who Defeated Napoleon Bonaparte (July 16/17, 2022)

The Haitian Studies Association is honored to announce a 2-part event featuring Arnold Antonin’ new film, Jean-Jacques Dessalines: The Man Who Defeated Napoleon Bonaparte. Part 1 will be a film screening on Saturday, July 16 at 1 pm PT/ 4pm ET. The film is 94 mins long in French and Kreyol (with English subtitles).

Then join us on Sunday, July 17 at 11 am PT/ 2 pm ET for an interactive conversation between Arnold Antonin and Dr. Evelyne Laurent-Perrault, from the University of California – Santa Barbara about the film.

The 2-part event would be hosted on Zoom.

Emerging Scholars Roundtable: Research in the Contemporary Moment (June 23, 2022)

The Emerging Scholars committee of the Haitian Studies Association invite you to participate in our series of mentorship activities where we will reflect on key topics and issues for emerging scholars.
In June, we will discuss research in the contemporary moment including questions of ethics, methods, and logistics.
The moderated discussion will be bilingual (English/Haitian Creole) without translation and followed by language-specific and disciplinary affinity break out groups.

Celebrating Paul Farmer: An Advocate for Equitable Healthcare (May 21, 2022)

The Haitian Studies Association (HSA) cordially invites the public and friends of Haiti to a town hall forum in memory of Dr. Paul Edward Farmer who recently passed away on February 21, 2022. We are pleased to have four distinguished guests: Dr. Toni Eyssallenne, MD, Ms. Marc Julmisse, MPH, RN, Dr. Donaldson Conserve, PhD, and Dr. Pierre Minn, PhD, who will reflect on Dr. Farmer’s life, ideas, works, and legacy. Dr. Farmer worked with communities and grassroots organizations in Haiti and the Haitian diaspora to advocate for access to healthcare for all. As a researcher, he highlighted the connections between health inequities and human rights. Tracy Kidder called him “the man who could cure the world.” A co-founder of Partners in Health, Dr. Farmer was instrumental in building the 300-bed University Hospital in Mirebalais after the 2010 earthquake. We remember Dr. Farmer for his compassion, kindness and relentless advocacy for equitable healthcare around the world, especially in Rwanda and Haiti. Please join us as we remember this mapou! The virtual forum will be held via Zoom Meeting on Saturday, May 21.

The Character Assassination of Haiti (November 1, 2021)

Co-sponsored by Union Theological Seminary, Haitian Studies Association, and In Cultured Company.
Since Haiti’s successful establishment of the second nation-state in the Americas, Bwa Kayiman has been falsely claimed as Haiti making a pact with the devil in order to be emancipated and independent. This conversation will critically analyze the role imperialism, Christianity, and anti-Blackness have had on Haiti’s current politics, history, and spirituality.

33rd Annual Conference – Recording of Plenary “Haiti in Crisis” (October 23, 2021)

Without a doubt, Haiti’s ongoing crisis will reach a nadir in late October 2021. Following his illegitimate election and extraconstitutional hold on power after a bogus constitutional plebiscite, the regime crisis will be reaching a climax of resistance to tyranny. Whether or not liberal institutions or constructivist ideas can overcome power disparities in some contexts, Haiti has always had a “state against the nation” Now independently sanctioned violence has been privatized or subcontracted enforcement. A system of extortion and embezzlement is subtle, but still continuing from the roots of Duvalierism established through the Macoute networks.

33rd Annual Conference – Recording of Keynote Panel (October 22, 2021)

Thinking through our professional, disciplinary and interdisciplinary lenses, we ask: What does truly transformational scholarship look like? How do we foreground perspectives that have historically been excluded and paint a more complete picture of Haiti’s past and the possibilities for her future?

This keynote panel offers an opportunity for a conversation with three people who work full time in Haiti, with one foot in the academic world and another in a host of public engagement. The conference theme – and the current historical moment – demand a new praxis, using Gramscian terminology. What role does scholarship play in solutions?

The Rights to Live Creatively (October 20, 2021)

As the first official convening of the HSA Sexualities Working Group, this event builds on “The Rights to Live Creatively,” a series of conversations and roundtables we facilitated in Fall 2020. We gather to share knowledge and galvanize our commitments, interests, and labor. The first hour of this meeting will feature presentations by Haiti-based community organizers Merlin Jean and Vadson Nicholas, Directors of Cap Haitien-based human rights organization Heritage; Sandy Pierre, Community Activist of Organisation Arc-en-Ciel d’Haiti (ORAH); and Soeurette Policar, Executive Director of Organisation de Développement et de Lutte contre la Pauvreté (ODELPA). In the second hour, we will move into conversation and action planning with all attendees. What are the stakes of “living creatively” in Haiti at this moment? How might we build transnational solidarity projects together?

The Roots Are Many and Deep: Social, Cultural, and Spiritual Dimensions of Haiti’s Ecological Crisis (Oct. 19, 2021)

On boarding the ship to his captivity in 1802, Toussaint L’Ouverture delivered a characterization of liberty that would become famous: its roots are many and deep. In the 217 years since Haiti’s independence, the nation’s liberty has been challenged, its roots entangled with invasive species, likewise many and deep. This meeting of HSA’s Working Group on the Environment (Konbit) will present the multidisciplinary perspectives of five scholars and activists. After introductory remarks—presenters’ names and affiliations and discussion ground rules—each of the five presenters will make a statement of no more than five minutes in order to allow maximum time for comments, questions, and discussion with attendees. The meeting will end with an announcement from our blog/vlog team about the progress of that effort, and with suggested ways for all to become involved.