Product Description
The U.S. invasion of Haiti in July 1915 marked the start of a military occupation that lasted for nineteen years--and fed an American fascination with Haiti that flourished even longer. Exploring the cultural dimensions of U.S. contact with Haiti during the occupation and its aftermath, Mary Renda shows that what Americans thought and wrote about Haiti during those years contributed in crucial and unexpected ways to an emerging culture of U.S. imperialism.

At the heart of this emerging culture, Renda argues, was American paternalism, which saw Haitians as wards of the United States. She explores the ways in which diverse Americans--including activists, intellectuals, artists, missionaries, marines, and politicians--responded to paternalist constructs, shaping new versions of American culture along the way. Her analysis draws on a rich record of U.S. discourses on Haiti, including the writings of policymakers; the diaries, letters, songs, and memoirs of marines stationed in Haiti; and literary works by such writers as Eugene O'Neill, James Weldon Johnson, Langston Hughes, and Zora Neale Hurston.

Pathbreaking and provocative, Taking Haiti illuminates the complex interplay between culture and acts of violence in the making of the American empire. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

US in Haiti
The U.S. invasion of Haiti in July 1915 marked the genesis of a military take-over that lasted for nineteen years - and informed and nurtured an American Orientalist relationship with Haiti that thrived even longer. Renda writes, "The military occupation of Haiti that began in 1915 was no sideshow... it was one of several important arenas in which the US was remade through overseas imperial ventures in the first third of the twentieth century" (Renda, Taking Haiti 12). At the core of this budding culture, Renda argues, was American paternalism, which saw Haitians as wards of the United States. Renda writes, "Paternalism should not be seen in opposition to violence, but rather as one among several cultural vehicles for it" (Renda, Taking Haiti 15). Exploring the cultural dimensions as well as foreign policy implications of U.S. contact with Haiti during the occupation and its aftermath, Mary Renda shows that what American contemplation and writing about Haiti during these formative years contributed in important and unforeseen ways to an emerging culture of U.S. imperialism. Renda writes, "The central discursive construction that supported the US presence in Haiti... It was more than mere rhetoric. It was the cultural and ideological framework within which US imperialism would be conceived and carried out" (Renda, Taking Haiti 303).

Renda looks at the ways in which an eclectic collection of Americans - including activists, intellectuals, artists, missionaries, marines, and politicians - act in response to paternalist constructs, shaping new versions of American culture along the way - in effect a transnational connection. Renda's study draws on a rich record of U.S. discourses on Haiti, including the writings of policymakers; the diaries, letters, songs, and memoirs of marines stationed in Haiti; and literary works by such writers as Eugene O'Neill, James Weldon Johnson, Langston Hughes, and Zora Neale Hurston. Taking Haiti shed light on the complex interplay between culture and acts of violence in the formation and construction of the American empire.

Paternalism= imperialism evolved
Renda's book illuminates the early stages of America's invisible empire: providing an excellent account of paternalism and the racial undercurrents that swell beneath the surface. While I believe she is a little too harsh in her assesment of the Wilson administration, the ideological premise and the conclusion in which she arrives is dead on. A must read for anyone with an interest in U.S. foreign policy and carribean history.

The final chapters are a bit tedious (but that could be my lack of interest in U.S. cultural exoticism) and the "gender" angle is a bit over-amplified for my taste. Otheriwse a great book.

A study of the imperialism of the U.S., a bit overstated
Paternalism is the central theme of Mary Renda's analysis of the US involvement in Haiti during the early part of the 20th century, an imperialistic foray in to what most Americans (including the thousands of US Marines sent there) considered to be a "backward," undeveloped land of childlike inhabitants.Renda asks two questions in this well-written book: "who did US American men think they were in Haiti and how did the people of the United States imagine themselves when they read about their nation's occupation there?" (9) She structures her study in two parts, in order to answer each of these concerns.
Statesmen, diplomats and soldiers of the U.S. involved in the invasion and occupation of Haiti in the second decade of the 20th century brought with them a piece of cultural baggage known as paternalism.By observing and reacting to Haiti with this frame of reference, U.S. Americans almost universally saw their duty as occupiers as being in the role of parent to the native Haitians, to bring to the island and its people the benefits of what U.S. Americans regarded as order, stability, secure commerce and modern, rational customs."Paternalism," she notes, "was the cultural flagship of the United States in Haiti." (15) As agents of U.S. cultural conscription, Marines tried to remake Haiti in to something of their own image of American society primarily through coersive means, though this largely failed due to Haitian resistance.Nevertheless, attitudes toward race, gender and sexuality the soldiers brought with them was the lens through which they viewed this island to be tamed. The racism of the Marines made them see the native Haitians as either ignorant "children," or savages not worthy to rule themselves.Through this paternalistic discourse, policy makers "appealed to the marine's sense of manhood," (303) which made the later look on their roles as that of fathers to children.This of course did not apply to the rebels they were expected to kill."Seeing people of African heritage as children," Renda concludes, "enabled marines to imagine themselves acting on protective and disciplining motivations.Seeing them as targets, however, did not." (156)
Renda argues in chapters 5 and 6 that the Marines' occupation in Haiti had a pronounced effect upon U.S. citizens at home; it was a military intervention that remade U.S. America.She writes that the US imperialism "could...intervene in domestic cultural politics," (185) and she attempts to support this claim by pointing to the popularity of the journalism of American writer James Weldon Johnson, Eugene O'Neill's hit play about a Caribbean leader entitled The Emperor Jones, a novel, film, and cruise line travels to the island in the 1920s.With regard to these claims, Renda is unconvincing.It is difficult to agree with her conclusion that Haiti was "no sideshow" (15) given other larger and more significant U.S. ventures abroad including World War I, the administration of the Panama Canal, and continued U.S. involvement in the Pacific Islands.Renda acknowledges this issue herself by quoting NAACP President Moorfield Story: "It is very hard to get the people to consider anything except the war [in Europe.]" (189) Additionally, Renda offers no convincing evidence as to how many Americans actually read Johnson's work or cruised the islands; the mere fact that critics acclaimed O'Neill's play is hardly proof of a significant intervention in cultural politics.
Despite these limitations, Taking Haiti is an excellent study of the imperialism of the U.S. in which Renda identifies clearly the racial, sexual and gender apparatus that came along with the marines, all under the cloak of interventionist paternalism, the "cultural fabric" of Haitian occupation. (303) ... Read more

Product Description

Haiti is the only country that is considered Latin American but has a language and culture that are predominantly French and a population that is primarily of African descent. It is also the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and a country of extremes. Culture and Customs of Haiti fleshes out the evolution of this diverse society through discussions of the Haitian people, history, religion, social customs, media, literature and language, and performing and visual arts. This much-needed resource gives students and other readers a balanced picture of a Caribbean nation known in the United States mainly for its boat people, the Duvalier dictatorships, and voodoo.

Culture and Customs of Haiti begins with an overview of the mountainous island that seemed forbidding to European colonizers. Historical periods, including French colonization, U.S. occupation in the early 20th century, Independence and the Duvaliers' reigns, until today, are reviewed and provide the framework for the volume. A chapter on the people and society details the pride of the black state that managed the only successful slave revolution in history. The extremes of society from the elite to the peasantry and slum dwellers are depicted, along with Haitians in diaspora. Religion in Haiti, with the strong amalgamation of Roman Catholicism and vaudou, a West African import, is then explained. A Social Customs chapter notes the joy that is found in such an economically depressed culture. The media and literature and language chapters necessarily unfold in the context of Haiti's political history. A section on writing in Creole is especially intriguing. Finally, chapters on the performing arts and visual arts evoke the energy and color of the people in such forms as vaudou jazz and dance, contemporary rara rock, and the folkloric influence on Haitian painting. A chronology and glossary supplement the text.

Product Description
Modernity Disavowed is a pathbreaking study of the cultural, political, and philosophical significance of the Haitian Revolution (1791–1804). Revealing how the radical antislavery politics of this seminal event have been suppressed and ignored in historical and cultural records over the past two hundred years, Sibylle Fischer contends that revolutionary antislavery and its subsequent disavowal are central to the formation and understanding of Western modernity. She develops a powerful argument that the denial of revolutionary antislavery eventually became a crucial ingredient in a range of hegemonic thought, including Creole nationalism in the Caribbean and G. W. F. Hegel’s master-slave dialectic.

Fischer draws on history, literary scholarship, political theory, philosophy, and psychoanalytic theory to examine a range of material, including Haitian political and legal documents and nineteenth-century Cuban and Dominican literature and art. She demonstrates that at a time when racial taxonomies were beginning to mutate into scientific racism and racist biology, the Haitian revolutionaries recognized the question of race as political. Yet, as the cultural records of neighboring Cuba and the Dominican Republic show, the story of the Haitian Revolution has been told as one outside politics and beyond human language, as a tale of barbarism and unspeakable violence. From the time of the revolution onward, the story has been confined to the margins of history: to rumors, oral histories, and confidential letters. Fischer maintains that without accounting for revolutionary antislavery and its subsequent disavowal, Western modernity—including its hierarchy of values, depoliticization of social goals having to do with racial differences, and privileging of claims of national sovereignty—cannot be fully understood. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Revisionist history done with stong elemts of psychology..
I must say that this book is a very good read. It's one of those book that captivate me mostly because it has another view than most on the subject of colonialism.This doesn't mean that it is an unbiased review. The Cuban section was done very good. That section was as unbiased as a book can get(pretty hard as most people interpret things differently. On the Dominican and Haitian section, you start to notice how differently those countries are treated. He depicts Dominicans as ignorant racists almost exclusively(as far as I can remember all mention of them is as self-hating racists), while Haitians are depicted as liberators, modernizers, an overall benign people that were victims of smeared. He paints this tolerant picture that Haiti was a civilized country and downplays the fact that the whites of the colony were literally wiped out(either massacred or fled). This book fails to mention the last Haitian incursion on Dominican soil by 'Emperor' Faustin the first (following the steps of 'Emperor' Dessalines, the country's first statesman). You cannot get the full reason why anti-haitianismo was/is so widespread without reading from original sources. From independence from Haiti to the reverting back to a colony, all of Haiti's statesmen save for one tried to reconquer the Dominicans, in the process committing horrible war crimes. In particular, Faustin the first was the key needed (as his long reign was dedicated to torment the Hispanics). After that monster, there was a mulatto (who like Boyer, was much less a savage than the others) that tried to reach out to the reach out to the racist white Dominican president (i.e Dictator) was by now fully convinced that in ordered to be saved by those savages, they needed outside help, and who else than Spain (what a tremendous disservice). To conclude, to me the Author is sincerely a Haitian apologist in the same way that there are Nazi apologist. while the desire was not extermination, it was a deliberate ideology to deprive a people of their land, language, and in short culture. Good book but read other (original sources) to get the full picture.

One of the most important recent books in Caribbean thought
This extraordinary book won the Frantz Fanon Prize of the Caribbean Philosophical Association in 2004 and then went on to win the Modern Language Association's prize in Latin American Studies and the Latin American Studies Association prize in 2005 for outstanding book.It is all well deserved.This work challenges many of the contemporary approaches to the study of race by offering a rich interplay of the compexities of Latin American conceptions of whiteness and those in the U.S. as they converge in a unified denial of the existence---and more, the HUMANITY---of the first Black Republic in the New World.Dr. Fischer's array of specializations, which range from comparative literature, philosophy, and history to linguistic skills that include French, Spanish, German, and some of the indigenous languages of South America, brings out the nuance and challenges of the Haitian revolution as understood in Haiti and as feared, cheered on, or simply denied from without.This work is a must-read for anyone working in Africana thought, especially in Caribbean studies, and theories of modernity. ... Read more

Product Description
During two centuries of independence from colonial rule, Haiti has developed into a society quite distinct from those found in the rest of the region. Hollywood-derived images of black magic and Graham Greene-inspired conceptions of a "nightmare republic" do scant justice to the reality of life for those who make up the third largest population in the Caribbean. How did the slaves of France's most prosperous colony defeat the armies of Napoleon, Spain, and Britain? Why did the U.S. occupation of 1915-34 fail to establish a plantation economy in Haiti? Haiti in Focus is an authoritative and up-to-date guide to this fascinating country. The guide explores the land, history and politics, economy, society and people, culture and environment, and includes tips on where to go and what to see. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A Great Overview of Haiti
This little book is very thorough, accurate, and informative.This book isn't meant for the causual globe-trotting tourist but for someone who really wants to understand Haiti.The book touches on several subjects (history, agriculture, politics, religion) and then links the subjects together in a simple but thorough way that makes sense.

It also touches on important but obscure subjects like why the well-intentioned eradication of the poor farmers' "Creole Pigs" in the 1980s led to much of the rural problems today.Or why 5 Gourdes (Haiti money) is called "one dollar", which is something that confuses new visitors.

This isn't a deep, complex book either.It's easy to read.And it doesn't seem to have any particular political bias.

If you want a good book on Haiti, this is it!

Not much depth but good approach
Too bad the book is too short and doe not go into the details of the pre- and post- independence periods of Haiti, whiwh are crucial for the country's future to come then. Otherwise a good 1st approach to the global situation of Haiti.

Good overview of Haiti
Don't purchase this book if you're looking for an in-depth travel book, an economic or cultural primer. Do purchase this book if you would like to get a general overview of Haiti, that includes a brief mention of the voodoo religion (spelled voodou in the book). It's a good starter book to learn more about the unspoken half of island of Hispanola. A quick read.

Haiti - a short introduction
This is a thin booklet providing a nice overview of Haitian culure, politics and history: it contains a little bit of everything, illustrated by photographs. The scope of the book is limited, however, and considering political conflicts and agenda, it has aged a bit since 2002 edition. I like the fact that the booklet invites you to further reading, including online resources. At times, I found the language a bit twisted and information a bit insufficient (which is to be expected). If you feel you're missing some general knowledge on Haiti, this is an excellent book to start with (and easy to take with you anywhere), but make sure you update yourself with the latest political issues, before making a decision to travel there. In the time of writing this review, most Western countries advise their citizens not to travel to Haiti. That being said, I think the front page photo provides a great insight ...

great info on Haiti
really comprehensive view of politics and life in haiti. useful tips for the traveler to Haiti including where to buy condoms! ... Read more

Product Description
An introduction to the geography, history, economy, culture, and people of Haiti. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very good for middle schoolers
The author tries to squeeze as much information as possible in this book.It's informative and a great gift to children and teenagers with no knowledge of Haiti. ... Read more

Product Description
Haiti is a nation exploding with expression.Deep below the flow of everyday life is a rhythm that knows innately how to celebrate being alive -- a giving of memory to all of the senses.You will see it in the color of carnival or in the white upon white at first communion.Listen and you will hear it in the familiar ring of the shoeshiner's bell as he passes in the street, and in the laughter of storytelling by candlelight at night.Photographer Carl Hiebert and writers Anthony Phelps, Sandy Noble Yates and Syto Cave present this Haiti, loved and calling to be remembered.Where Light Speaks is a rediscovery, not only of what is Haitian, but of what is human. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

One of my favorite books of all time!!
I lived in Haiti for 2 years, and have gone back numerous times since.This is a book that makes me nostalgic in a way i can't explain. Bits of French, Creole, and English, most saying slightly different things. It's a great book.

A nice effort, but misrepresented: only presents the country, not the city
As another reviewer said, nice effort, for a nice cause - that's why I gave it the 3 stars.

If I were rating on how well it represents all of Haiti, including the city, and if it were NOT going for a good cause, I would give it less.

I was hoping to get a book representative of what *I* have seen of Haiti: THE CITY.This book is just for the country.I think it has maybe 1 or 2 pics of the city.They should have stated that in the description.

What I saw of Haiti, and what I remember, is The City, and The Market: THRONGS of people, hustle and bustle. People wearing brightly colored clothes, brightly colored buildings, and most important, those incredibly painted TAP-TAP BUSSES!!

But this book didn't have Any of that, maybeone or two pictures!Also, the pictures were mostly of scenery, and not enough PEOPLE.There were many nice pics of sunsets and amber waves of grain fields, etc.Very artsy.Perhaps very representative of the Haitian countryside?, I don't know, I didn't spend any time in the countryside.

As long as you understand this book is for the country pics and not the city, that's fine.

If you're specifically hoping to find books of the pre-quake City Life of Haiti, unfortunately this book doesn't cover that.

I returned the book for a refund, and once Amazon deposited the money back in my account ($20 for book cost minus shipping they deducted), donated $20 to the "Haiti Relief and Development" fund, as they are currently calling it, of the Red Cross.Its easy to donate online, the menus are very straightforward, and easy to specifically choose Haiti as the recipient.

I hope someday, that pre-earthquake photos of the vibrant CITY LIFE of Haiti will be collected into a picture book!For now, I just go to YouTube, search on Haiti Tour or something similar, and some visitors have shot video of driving through the city, with that desperately poor, yet Magnificent, beauty of the brightly-painted old buildings, people, and busses that could only be found in Haiti before the quake - THAT's WHAT I WISH FOR in a coffee table book!

Great book that helps a good cause...
I love this book because it is so positive and shows the beauty of the people and places of Haiti.The combination of photography and poetry is striking and really draws you in.Every time I open it, it's like being back in Haiti again.Best of all, the proceeds go to International Child Care, a non-profit health development organization that is working to help children and families in Haiti live better lives.What more could you want from a coffee table book?

Haiti - an enchanting depiction
This book provides powerful, beautiful photography, sensitive narrative, and original poetry. It respects the country, its culture and its language. It has a depth not expected in "table top" books.It is the number one book on my gift list this year!(not found in most book stores).Wonderful -

Beautiful book
I lived in Haiti for 18 years and I must say that this book does a wonderful job of portraying Haiti.If you've ever traveled to Haiti or lived there, this book will bring back fond memories.If you've never been to Haiti, you might find yourself longing to visit.This book will help you see why so many people who visit Haiti end up falling in love with it despite the fact that it's one of the poorest, most destitute countries in the world. ... Read more

Product Description
Clash of Cultures retraces the United States intervention and occupation of Haiti for two decades, 1915D1934 and highlights the patterns of racism which permeated educational aims and objectives pursued by American bureaucrats. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A solid entry in the series
"Haiti," by Roseline Ngcheong-Lum, is part of the "Festivals of the World" book series. This book combines a very readable text with many wonderful full-color photographs. Also included are a map, glossary, and index. There are also instructions for making a Haitian-inspired Carnival headdress, as well as a recipe for the dessert known as blancmange.

The book explains such festivals as Carnival, Mardi Gras, Haitian Independence Day, and the Day of the Dead. A number of related topics are covered: the voodoo religion, beliefs about zombies, and the importance of Haitian heroes like Toussaint L'Ouverture. The photographs are really great: we see a statue memorializing national hero Henri Christophe, a richly decorated church interior, a colorfully decorated "taptap" (public bus), and more. Overall, a fine entry in this series. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Harvard International Review, published by Harvard International Relations Council, Inc. on March 22, 2010. The length of the article is 1621 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: A long road ahead: leveraging culture in Haiti's reconstruction an interview with Michele Pierre-Louis.(Interview)
Author: Michele Pierre-Louis
Publication: Harvard International Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2010
Publisher: Harvard International Relations Council, Inc.
Volume: 32Issue: 1Page: 62(2)

Article Type: Interview

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

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Chapters: Culture of Haiti, Haitian Mythology, Public Holidays in Haiti, Quadrille Dress, Bryant Freeman. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 25. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The Culture of Haiti is primarily an African diasporal culture that is evidenced in the Haitian language, music and religion. The culture also encompasses additional contributions, from native Taino customs,also practices and linguistics imported during French colonisation and Spanish imperialism. Haitian Compas (sometimes written as Compas Direct, konpa direk, konpa, or kompa) is a musical genre as well as a dance that originates from Haïti. It was named «Compas Direct» by Nembithcours Jean-Baptiste on a recording released in 1955. The name derives from compas, the Spanish word meaning rhythm or tones. It involves mostly medium-to-fast tempo beats with an emphasis on electric guitars, synthesizers, and either a solo alto saxophone, a horn section or the synthesizer equivalent. Unlike zouk (which derives from compas), the lyrics are mostly in Haitian Creole. Folklore often categorized into both European (Spanish ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Countries and Their Cultures, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 2404 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Covers the broad range of popular religious culture of the United States at the close of the twentieth century. Beliefs, practices, symbols, traditions, movements, organizations, and leaders from the many traditions in the pluralistic American community are represented. Also includes cults and phenomena that drew followers, such as Heaven's Gale and UFOs. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from National Catholic Reporter, published by Thomson Gale on July 20, 2007. The length of the article is 1383 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Dancing in Haiti: come for the beaches, the culture and art.(ESSAY)
Author: Eileen Markey
Publication: National Catholic Reporter (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 20, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 43Issue: 32Page: 6a(2)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of Foods and Recipes of the World, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 1722 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Provides comprehensive coverage of the foods and recipes of approximately 75 cultural groups from more than 60 countries. Entries provide 10-15 recipes for each group and include data on the agriculture and dietary habits of each group as well as an overview of each group's nutrition and health. ... Read more