Browse by Categories
Announcements & Statements (42)
Call For Submissions for the 2023 HSA Book Prize Award (June 12, 2023)
The HSA Book Award is given in alternate years to the best book in Haitian Studies in the Social Sciences, with relevance towards the betterment of Haiti and its people. Books must have been published within the last 2 years, June 2021 to June 2023. Anthologies and edited volumes do not qualify.
Read More »
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.).
Read More »
Journal of Haitian Studies Special Issue - Call for Papers (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.
Read More »
View All 'Announcements & Statements' Posts »
Conference (2)
Call For Submissions for the 2023 HSA Book Prize Award (June 12, 2023)
The HSA Book Award is given in alternate years to the best book in Haitian Studies in the Social Sciences, with relevance towards the betterment of Haiti and its people. Books must have been published within the last 2 years, June 2021 to June 2023. Anthologies and edited volumes do not qualify.
Read More »
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.).
Read More »
View All 'Conference' Posts »
Emerging Scholars (10)
Emerging Scholars Café (Apr. 28, 2023)
The Emerging Scholars Committee would like to invite you to our first Emerging Scholars Café of this year on April 28, 2023 at 2:00 pm EDT on Zoom. We welcome Dr. Kapriskie Seide, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology at Davidson College, on the topic "Disability related to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti" and Pascal Dafinis Ph.D Student, Global Studies, University of Irvine, on the topic "Haitian Migration through Latin America". We also welcome Dr. Darlene Dubuisson, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, as a commentator for this panel. Presentations will be in English and French and will be followed by a discussion in all three languages (English, Creole, French). We look forward to your attendance.
Read More »
Emerging Scholars Workshop: Writing Successful Abstracts (Mar. 31, 2023)
The Emerging Scholars Committee of the Haitian Studies Association (HSA) invite you to participate in our series of mentorship activities where we will reflect on key topics and issues for emerging scholars. In March, we will discuss strategies for preparing successful abstracts for conferences or other calls for papers. Scholars from several disciplines will share reflections and tips based on their experiences. Bring your draft abstracts for HSA’s 35th annual conference Ayiti Se Tè Glise: Im/Migration, Movement & In-Betweenness which are due April 15th, 2023.
Read More »
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.
Read More »
View All 'Emerging Scholars' Posts »
Environment Blog (4)
Microplastics and Environmental Health: Identification of the Environmental Hazards in Haiti
Over the past several decades, various studies have highlighted the impact of microplastics (MP) on living organisms. By definition, MP refers to all plastic particles with a size less than 5 mm in diameter according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency of the United States (NOAA). They are themselves pollutants and act as vectors for the transport of various types of chemicals in natural ecosystems. Depending on their characteristics, they are easily introduced into the environment by wind and heavy rains and persist there due to their low solubility. They can be found in: seawater, freshwater, agroecosystems, atmospheric, food and aquatic environments, drinking water, natural biota as well as other remote locations (Lambert et al., 2014).
Read More »
Dappiyanp sou Tè: Seizure of Land, Rights, and Sustainability in Haiti
The month of May in Haiti has customarily celebrated the worker, and until very recent times people understood “worker” as one who tilled the soil. The month kicks off with Labor Day conflated with May Day, the former rooted in labor organizing and the latter in rural festivals marking the start of summer. Practitioners of Haitian Vodou salute Azaka Mede, spirit of the earth and farmers, throughout the month.
Read More »
The Energy Potential of Marine Macroalgae in Haiti
Haiti, like most Caribbean countries, faces a growing energy crisis due to the increasing costs of fossil fuels and the lack of indigenous domestic energy supplies. Biofuels are increasingly considered as alternatives to fossil fuels to power modern societies, but they carry their own negative environmental impacts and limitations. In order for biofuels to make a more positive impact on the energy economy of Haiti, three conditions must be met: (i) a new source of millions of tons of sustainably sourced biomass must be discovered with fewer negative environmental impacts than fuel wood; (ii) the biomass must be safely and efficiently transformed into a useful fuel to serve the needs of homes and industries; and (iii) an entire transportation and distribution network has to be created to place this new energy supply in the hands of the end users. Today, we will discuss our research into turning sargassum seaweed into useful biogas energy.
Read More »
View All 'Environment Blog' Posts »
Journal of Haitian Studies (9)
Journal of Haitian Studies Special Issue - Call for Papers (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.
Read More »
Journal of Haitian Studies Spring 2022 – Volume 28, Number 1
LAND AND THE STRUGGLE FOR AUTONOMY: DEVELOPMENT, DECOLONIZATION, AND THE COUNTER-PLANTATION FINDING A NEW PATH FORWARD: HISTORICAL AND LITERARY MODELS FOR CONSTRUCTING BETTER FUTURES BOOK REVIEWS
Read More »
Journal of Haitian Studies Fall 2021 – Volume 27, Number 2
MEMORY AND TEMPORALITY IN HAITIAN LITERATURE, HAITI’S INTERNATIONAL IMPACT, REALISM AND REALITY: CONSTRUCTING THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE
Read More »
View All 'Journal of Haitian Studies' Posts »
Members' Corner (17)
Professors Petrouchka Moïse and Fredo Rivera Secure $350K Grant for "Haitian Art Digital Crossroads" Project
Petrouchka Moïse, assistant professor and Cultural & Community-based Digital Curator in the Grinnell College Libraries, and Fredo Rivera '06, assistant professor of Art History, have been awarded a $350,000 grant from the Humanities Collections and Reference Resources program of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The grant will support their project, "Haitian Art Digital Crossroads," which aims to digitize over a thousand Haitian artworks held at several sites in Haiti and the United States and incorporate them into a multilingual database. "We are thrilled to have this opportunity to share the richness and diversity of Haitian art with a wider audience and to make it accessible to scholars and researchers around the world," said Moïse.
Read More »
Video games, food and ‘aha’ moments make this Cal State San Marcos professor one of the best
Alyssa Sepinwall was named the best teacher in the CSU system for getting students to grasp how their lives have been shaped by events that occurred long ago and far away.
Read More »
Religion Prof Receives Fellowship to Help Preserve Vodou Temple
Professor of Religion Elizabeth McAlister is working alongside colleagues in Haiti to help preserve the precious art and sacred objects at one particular temple. To support her efforts, McAlister has recently been named a 2023 Crossroads Research Fellow by Princeton University. The Crossroads Project “responds to challenges that call for deeper public understanding of and scholarly engagement with Black religious histories and cultures,” according to its website.
Read More »
View All 'Members' Corner' Posts »
Opportunities (29)
The Haitian Women’s Collective - Research Fellow
The Haitian Women’s Collective-theHWC.org, a fiscal program of Diaspora Community Services, seeks an intern to act as a Research fellow. The ideal student would work with HWC to develop data profiles and conduct research on women and girl issues and join a team of women dedicated to transforming development and addressing priorities for women in Haiti.
Read More »
Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC) - Program Manager
Florida International University is seeking a dedicated Program Manager to lead our outreach and engagement efforts and help preserve cultural heritage through the Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC). The ideal candidate will have a passion for Caribbean history and will be able to collaborate effectively with universities and cultural heritage institutions to advance the scholarly use of dLOC's collections. The Program Manager will also play an important role in organizing programming that celebrates the traditions and culture of the Caribbean diaspora and will work closely with local organizations and the dLOC team to support these efforts.
Read More »
Journal of Haitian Studies Special Issue - Call for Papers (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.
Read More »
View All 'Opportunities' Posts »
Past Conferences (54)
2022 Digital Book Launch
As we come together this year, we are showcasing titles published after our last in-person conference. So in keeping with the times, the Haitian Studies Association introduces our Digital Book Launch to display these new books in a more user-friendly format for your convenience. The following list includes books published during the pandemic and early 2022, including the forthcoming books closing out this year. This list of 60+ books includes texts written both in English and French. The books below address various issues and articulate different perspectives on Haiti and Haitian national history. Click here to view the digital gallery for book covers and abstracts. Listed below are the individual titles that will direct you to the purchasing site. Select the author from the index listed below for a brief book description.
Read More »
2022 Award Recipients
At H.S.A.'s 34th annual conference Dr. Régine Michelle Jean-Charles received our Award for Excellence; Dr. Charlene Désir received our Award for Service; and Edouard Duval-Carrié received our Florence Bellande Robertson Award. You can read information of all three award recipients here.
Read More »
2022 Scholarship Recipients
At H.S.A.’s 34th annual conference Walner Osna and Michaëlle Vilmont received the Emerging Scholars Fund; Louis Gédéon, Léo D. Pizo Bien-Aimé, and Elkins Voltaire received the Michel Rolph Trouillot Scholarship. You can read information of all five award recipients here.
Read More »
View All 'Past Conferences' Posts »
Past Events (54)
Haiti in Crisis: The Search for a Way Forward (May 30, 2023)
Haiti is experiencing one of the most difficult moments in its troubled history. In the aftermath of the July 2021 assassination of President Moïse, political instability and criminal violence affect all aspects of daily life. Gang activity has all but incapacitated efforts to provide food and medical supplies. Homicides and kidnappings have skyrocketed. Calls for an international rescue effort have not yet been answered. The international community is struggling to find a way to support restoration of the rule of law, provide urgently needed humanitarian assistance, and strengthen the government of Haiti’s capacity to govern. The United Nations’ Integrated Office in Haiti noted last year that “the current situation … demonstrates the extent to which political, security, development and humanitarian dimensions are intertwined and mutually reinforcing…”.
Read More »
Haitian-American Heritage Month: “All Eyes on Haiti” Virtual Panel Discussion (May 25, 2023)
Haitian-American Heritage Month: “All Eyes on Haiti” Virtual Panel Discussion.
Read More »
From Statelessness to Global Black Solidarity (May 18, 2023)
In 2013 the Dominican Republic's Constitutional Tribunal denationalized more than four generations of Black Dominicans of Haitian descent rendering them stateless. This ruling commonly referred to as "La Sentencia" was the result of a series of xenophobic and racist administrative rulings and policies, which throughout the twentieth century sought to systematically marginalize Haitian migrant laborers and strip their Dominican born children of citizenship. Through a discussion with Ana María Belique and Epifania St. Chals, leaders of the Reconoci.do movement, this talk will explore the impact of La Sentencia on Black Dominicans of Haitian descent, historical linkages between the US, Haiti and the Dominican Republic and draw on Global Black Solidarity as a tool of resistance and liberation.
Read More »
View All 'Past Events' Posts »
Past Working Groups (6)
The Rights to Live Creatively: Artistic Expression, Visibility, Solidarity (Dec. 14, 2020)
In light of right-wing authoritarianism in Haiti today that exposes the clientelist nature of the justice system and increases violence against all who seek to live creatively, this Working Session convenes to hear from Haitian freedom fighters and artists on the ground in a series of webinar discussions and focused virtual gatherings. This second panel features cultural workers Maksaens Denis, independent artist, and Hetera Estamphil, director of KOURAJ, who will share with us the ways in which their works challenge gendered and sexual norms and offer us another vision of and for Haiti. The conversation will be moderated by Josué Azor, and feature performances by Yonel Charles and Jenny Cadet. The goals are to think together with attendees to design an action plan that supports and amplifies their efforts toward creative living in Haiti.
Read More »
The Rights to Live Creatively: Artistic Expression, Visibility, Solidarity (Oct. 8, 2020)
In light of right-wing authoritarianism in Haiti today that exposes the clientelist nature of the justice system and increases violence against all who seek to live creatively, this Working Group convenes to hear from Haitian freedom fighters and artists on the ground in a series of webinar discussions and focused virtual gatherings. The first panel features cultural workers Josué Azor, Jenny Cadet, and Maksaens Denis who will share with us the ways in which their works challenge gendered and sexual norms and offer us another vision of and for Haiti. During the gathering that follows the webinar, they will think together with attendees to design an action plan that supports and amplifies their efforts toward creative living in Haiti.
Read More »
Haitian Art: Koneksyon, Rezistans, Istwa (Oct. 5, 2020)
With the extremely generous and catalyzing platform offered to us by the Haitian Studies Association, the present project offers first and foremost a call to us as scholars, pedagogues, and publishers to be ever rigorous and conscientious about the ways in which we engage theory, in this case, theory and historical scholarship on and about Haitian visual arts. How might we more rigorously create new mechanisms by which to better facilitate more constant dialogue in regard to the ways in which we speak, think, and write alongside Haitian artists and scholars, especially those writing in Haitian Kreyòl and French?
Read More »
View All 'Past Working Groups' Posts »
PDFs (5)
Town Hall Update (online event): 'Decolonizing Haitian Studies' (June 26, 2021)
As a follow-up to members' priorities expressed at the 2020 Town Hall meeting, our June event will focus on the problem of coloniality in the field of Haitian Studies and our strategy to decolonize the HSA. All are invited to hear from scholars examining the question of decolonization from the standpoint of their respective disciplines and research interests. We will consider the dynamics of knowledge production, alongside issues of global inequality and anti-blackness, language, ethical collaboration, citational politics and other research practices within the interdisciplinary field of Haitian Studies. Finally, we will describe the status of our Open Access database, a digital archive which aims to provide free access to scholarship by HSA members.
Read More »
Town Hall Response Strategy (2021)
International media often portrays Haiti as an ongoing crisis since its successful revolution for independence in 1804. This representation of history simultaneously fails to consider Haiti’s transnational roots and global connections and how Haitians persist in their brave fight for their freedom and sovereignty. Despite the Haitian Revolution’s triumph — an “unthinkable” act in the words of anthropologist/historian Michel-Rolph Trouillot — the event threatened the core of white supremacy. It resulted in dire repercussions against the new nation. In the face of “Western” critics, we aim to highlight real concerns in the country and stand in solidarity with Haiti. Men nou la! (We are here!)
Read More »
H.S.A. New Bylaws
Last Fall 2018, in the 30th Annual Conference in Port-au-Prince, the membership voted overwhelmingly (73 to 1) to adopt new bylaws. The new bylaws make provision for HSA members at-large to participate more directly in the running of the organization.
Read More »
View All 'PDFs' Posts »
Photos & Videos (36)
Emerging Scholars Café (Apr. 28, 2023)
The Emerging Scholars Committee would like to invite you to our first Emerging Scholars Café of this year on April 28, 2023 at 2:00 pm EDT on Zoom. We welcome Dr. Kapriskie Seide, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology at Davidson College, on the topic "Disability related to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti" and Pascal Dafinis Ph.D Student, Global Studies, University of Irvine, on the topic "Haitian Migration through Latin America". We also welcome Dr. Darlene Dubuisson, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, as a commentator for this panel. Presentations will be in English and French and will be followed by a discussion in all three languages (English, Creole, French). We look forward to your attendance.
Read More »
Information Forum: Helping Newcomers Find Community Support (Apr. 16, 2023)
April 16, 2023 at 5-6:30 ET CUNY Haitian Studies Institute of Brooklyn College and the Haitian Studies Association invite you to this information forum to discuss ways to help newcomers to find various support in communities around the U.S.
Read More »
Emerging Scholars Workshop: Writing Successful Abstracts (Mar. 31, 2023)
The Emerging Scholars Committee of the Haitian Studies Association (HSA) invite you to participate in our series of mentorship activities where we will reflect on key topics and issues for emerging scholars. In March, we will discuss strategies for preparing successful abstracts for conferences or other calls for papers. Scholars from several disciplines will share reflections and tips based on their experiences. Bring your draft abstracts for HSA’s 35th annual conference Ayiti Se Tè Glise: Im/Migration, Movement & In-Betweenness which are due April 15th, 2023.
Read More »
View All 'Photos & Videos' Posts »
Upcoming Events (1)
Haitian Migration in the Americas: Combating Anti-Blackness & Building Transnational Solidarity (June 5, 2023)
As part of the 2nd session of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, the Global Justice Clinic at NYU School of Law invites you to a virtual side event and webinar entitled, “Haitian Migration in the Americas: Combating Anti-Blackness & Building Transnational Solidarity." Since the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Haitian migration has expanded and transformed dramatically. While the United States, Canada and the Dominican Republic were historically primary destination countries, Haitians are now migrating throughout Central and South America, including Chile, Colombia, Panama, and Mexico. Although the country contexts differ, for Haitian migrants there has been one constant: anti-Blackness. In this panel discussion, Haitian migrant rights’ advocates living in countries in North and South America will share about the challenges facing Black migrants and the need for transnational solidarity and collective power-building.
Read More »
View All 'Upcoming Events' Posts »
Working Group – Environment (7)
Microplastics and Environmental Health: Identification of the Environmental Hazards in Haiti
Over the past several decades, various studies have highlighted the impact of microplastics (MP) on living organisms. By definition, MP refers to all plastic particles with a size less than 5 mm in diameter according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency of the United States (NOAA). They are themselves pollutants and act as vectors for the transport of various types of chemicals in natural ecosystems. Depending on their characteristics, they are easily introduced into the environment by wind and heavy rains and persist there due to their low solubility. They can be found in: seawater, freshwater, agroecosystems, atmospheric, food and aquatic environments, drinking water, natural biota as well as other remote locations (Lambert et al., 2014).
Read More »
Dappiyanp sou Tè: Seizure of Land, Rights, and Sustainability in Haiti
The month of May in Haiti has customarily celebrated the worker, and until very recent times people understood “worker” as one who tilled the soil. The month kicks off with Labor Day conflated with May Day, the former rooted in labor organizing and the latter in rural festivals marking the start of summer. Practitioners of Haitian Vodou salute Azaka Mede, spirit of the earth and farmers, throughout the month.
Read More »
The Energy Potential of Marine Macroalgae in Haiti
Haiti, like most Caribbean countries, faces a growing energy crisis due to the increasing costs of fossil fuels and the lack of indigenous domestic energy supplies. Biofuels are increasingly considered as alternatives to fossil fuels to power modern societies, but they carry their own negative environmental impacts and limitations. In order for biofuels to make a more positive impact on the energy economy of Haiti, three conditions must be met: (i) a new source of millions of tons of sustainably sourced biomass must be discovered with fewer negative environmental impacts than fuel wood; (ii) the biomass must be safely and efficiently transformed into a useful fuel to serve the needs of homes and industries; and (iii) an entire transportation and distribution network has to be created to place this new energy supply in the hands of the end users. Today, we will discuss our research into turning sargassum seaweed into useful biogas energy.
Read More »
View All 'Working Group – Environment' Posts »
Working Groups (4)
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?
Read More »
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.
Read More »
Documentary Screening: 'Men Sa Lanmè Di' with Q&A with Filmmaker & Marine Scientist (July 17, 2021)
From its trailer text: “The Haitian Sea as you’ve never seen or heard it before. In this documentary, the Sea tells its story with the Haitian people. Wave after wave, the Sea showcases its riches, reveals its mysteries, and raises the alarm. From the excessive use of its resources to the consequences of climate change and pollution, the Sea displays its different shades of blue and suggests opportunities to seize. This film is an invitation to travel, discover, and also to raise awareness. Haiti’s future lies in its coasts or will not be.”