Who Owns Haiti?: People, Power, and Sovereignty

by Robert Maguire (Editor), Scott Freeman (Editor)

Overview

"A timely collection of articles by some of the leading and emerging scholars and specialists on Haiti, offering a wide range of critical perspectives on the question and meaning of sovereignty in Haiti."--Alex Dupuy, coauthor of The Prophet and Power: Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the International Community, and Haiti "Directly asks the provocative question of ownership and Haitian sovereignty within the post-earthquake moment--an unstable period in which ideas on (re)development, humanitarianism, globalization, militarism, self-determination, and security converge."--Millery Polyné, author of From Douglass to Duvalier: U.S. African Americans, Haiti, and Pan Americanism, 1870-1964 "Powerful essays by experts in their fields addressing what matters most to smaller nations--the meaning of sovereignty, and the horrid trajectory from colonialism, to neocolonialism into neoliberalism."--Patrick Bellegarde-Smith, author of Haiti: The Breached Citadel Although Haiti established its independence in 1804, external actors such as the United States, the United Nations, and non-profits have wielded considerable influence throughout its history. Especially in the aftermath of the Duvalier regime and the 2010 earthquake, continual imperial interventions have time and again threatened its sovereignty. Who Owns Haiti? explores the role of international actors in the country’s sovereign affairs while highlighting the ways in which Haitians continually enact their own independence on economic, political, and cultural levels. The contributing authors contemplate Haiti’s sovereign roots from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, including political science, anthropology, history, economics, and development studies. They also consider the assertions of sovereignty from historically marginalized urban and rural populations. This volume addresses how Haitian institutions, grassroots organizations, and individuals respond to and resist external influence. Examining how foreign actors encroach on Haitian autonomy and shape--or fail to shape--Haiti’s fortunes, it argues that varying discussions of ownership are central to Haiti’s future as a sovereign state.
Contributors: Laurent Dubois | Robert Fatton Jr. | Scott Freeman | Nicholas Johnson | Chelsey Kivland | Robert Maguire | Francois Pierre-Louis Jr. | Karen Richman | Ricardo Seitenfus | Amy Wilentz

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813063379
Publisher:	University Press of Florida
Publication date:	11/07/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Robert Maguire is professor of international development studies at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs.
Scott Freeman is professorial lecturer at the School of International Service at American University.

Table of Contents

Contents

List of Illustrations
List of Tables
Abbreviations
Acknowledgements

Foreword
Amy Wilentz

1.         Introduction: Sovereignty and ‘Ownership’ from the Inside and Out
Scott Freeman and Robert Maguire

2.         Haitian Sovereignty: A Brief History
Laurent Dubois

3.         Haiti and the Limits of Sovereignty: Trapped in the Outer Periphery
Robert Fatton Jr.

4.         New Wine in Old Bottles: the Failure of the Democratic Transition in Haiti
Francois Pierre-Louis, Jr

5.         Brazilian and South American Political and Military Engagement in Haiti
Ricardo Seitenfus

6.         Who ‘Owns’ US Aid to Haiti?  
Robert Maguire

7.         Who Owns the Religion of Haiti?
Karen Richman

8.         Sovereignty and Soil: Collective and Wage Labor in Rural Haiti     
Scott Freeman

9.         Street Sovereignty: Power, Violence, and Respect among Haitian “Baz”
Chelsey Kivland

10.       Conclusion: Reflections on Sovereignty
Robert Maguire, Scott Freeman & Nicholas Johnson

List of Contributors
Index
 

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"A timely collection of articles by some of the leading and emerging scholars and specialists on Haiti, offering a wide range of critical perspectives on the question and meaning of sovereignty in Haiti."—Alex Dupuy, author of The Prophet and Power: Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the International Community, and Haiti "Directly asks the provocative question of ownership and Haitian sovereignty within the post-earthquake moment—an unstable period in which ideas on (re)development, humanitarianism, globalization, militarism, self-determination, and security converge."—Millery Polyne, author of From Douglass to Duvalier: U.S. African Americans, Haiti, and Pan Americanism, 1870-1964 "Powerful essays by experts in their fields address the meaning of sovereignty, and the trajectory from colonialism to neocolonialism into neoliberalism. Essential knowledge."—Patrick Bellegarde-Smith, author of Haiti: The Breached Citadel

Editorial Reviews

"A timely collection of articles by some of the leading and emerging scholars and specialists on Haiti, offering a wide range of critical perspectives on the question and meaning of sovereignty in Haiti."—Alex Dupuy, author of The Prophet and Power: Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the International Community, and Haiti "Directly asks the provocative question of ownership and Haitian sovereignty within the post-earthquake moment—an unstable period in which ideas on (re)development, humanitarianism, globalization, militarism, self-determination, and security converge."—Millery Polyne, author of From Douglass to Duvalier: U.S. African Americans, Haiti, and Pan Americanism, 1870-1964 "Powerful essays by experts in their fields address the meaning of sovereignty, and the trajectory from colonialism to neocolonialism into neoliberalism. Essential knowledge."—Patrick Bellegarde-Smith, author of Haiti: The Breached Citadel

From the Publisher