Chapter 1 - Editors’ Introduction

Summary

Since the bicentennial of Haitian independence in 2004, the field of Haitian literary and cultural studies has expanded considerably. It is no longer possible to claim with the same degree of urgency that Haitian history and literature are being ignored in North Atlantic academe. Not only have Haitian literature panels become a central part of the often social science-focused Haitian Studies Association (which has been in existence for more than thirty years), but numerous conferences and colloquia on both sides of the Atlantic have now been devoted almost singularly to the topic of Haitian literary studies.¹ We are witnessing, in fact, something of a revival in Haitian literary studies. Various scholars from both French and Francophone Studies, as well as English, History, and American Studies, are turning their attention to Haiti’s robust literary culture.