Faculty Advisor

DeHart, Monica

Area of Study

Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Publication Date

Fall 2018

Abstract

This study explores the responses of the members of the Haitian diaspora in the U.S. to the current historical moment. This historical moment in which the President of the United States would feel so inclined as to ask: “Why do we want people from Haiti here?” and “Why are we having all these people from sh*thole countries come here?” (Davis et al. 2018; Dawsey 2018). The same man who promised Haitians “I will be your champion,” has made the decision to force 59,000 members of the Haitian diaspora who currently hold Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to return to Haiti in July of 2019 (MSNBC 2017).This research thus seeks to understand how individuals in the Haitian diaspora define their Haitian identity as well how they respond to stereotypes of Haitians as portrayed and perpetuated in media and embodied in racist immigration policies. These responses are poignantly expressed in literature written by Haitian authors following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. This study conducts a comparative, anthropological literary analysis of two post-earthquake novels: American Street by Ibi Zoboi and Mouths Don’t Speak by Katia D. Ulysse.

Davis, Julie Hirschfeld et al. “Trump Alarms Lawmakers With Disparaging Words for Haiti and Africa.” The New York Times, January 20, 2018.

Dawsey, Josh. “Trump Derides Protections for Immigrants from 'Shithole' Countries.” The Washington Post, January 12, 2018.

“Trump Hurts Haitians He Promised to Help.” MSNBC, November 22, 2017.

Publisher

University of Puget Sound

Additional Files
(Re)Writing Home_ Unimagining and Reimagining Haitian Identity in_poster.pdf (1992 kB)
Summer Research Poster
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