Haiti and Africa: Unearthing and Exploring the Roots, Connections, and Possibilities
The Second Annual Haitian Heritage International Conference
CUNY Haitian Studies Institute @ Brooklyn College
12-13 May 2023
The keynote presentation, panels and roundtables will focus on the historical connections between Haiti and Africa, and the cultural, political, social, and economic specificities of Haiti that derive directly and indirectly from those connections. The conference will explore how the transatlantic slave trade and the colonial era, through the revolutionary and the post- independence shape contemporary Haitian realities. Papers will also seek parallels and intersections among contemporary Haitian and African realities as emergence of shared colonial and neocolonial experiences, and take stock of current intellectual, cultural, political, and economic links and gaps between Haiti and Africa.
This conference dovetails with the perceived need to expand the thematic range of scholarship about Haiti. The topic is intended to increase scholarly interest in areas of inquiry pertaining to Haiti. It is also meant to encourage scholars to move away from a dominant trend in research that considers Haiti through an exceptionalism lens and in vacuo, toward a comparative approach that brings into relief connections, parallels and intersections between Haiti and the rest of the world, the Global South in particular. Ultimately, the conference is conceived as a transatlantic conversation among Haiti scholars and Africa scholars to foster greater curiosity and understanding of the interconnected realities of Africa and Haiti.
Suggested topics for panels, papers, roundtables, audio-visual presentations:
-
Africa and the Haitian Revolution African and Haitian Philosophy
-
African Fauna and the Haitian Imaginary African Flora and the Haitian Imaginary African Genealogies in Haiti
-
Black Internationalism Children and Youth Colonialism Decolonization
-
Digital Humanities
-
Economy and Natural Resources
-
Education
-
Environment and Ecology
-
Ethnic Origins of Haitians
-
Family and Kinship
-
Foodways/Cuisine Connections
-
Geopolitics
-
Globalization
-
Governance, Diplomacy and International Organizations Habitat and Architecture
-
Health and Medicine
-
Haiti, Africa and Francophonie
-
Language and Linguistics
-
Liberation Movements and Popular Movements Literature
-
Media and Representation
-
Music and Dance
-
Nation Building
-
Negritude and Indigénisme/Indigenism Neocolonialization
-
Post-colonization and Postcolonialism
-
Queer Studies
-
Race and Class in Africa and Haiti
-
Religion and Spirituality
-
Social Communication and Non-verbal Language
-
Social Justice
-
Social Rituals and Interactions
-
Technology
-
The Transatlantic Slave Trade
-
Visual Arts
-
Women and Gender
-
& Other Pertinent Topics
Abstract and Paper Submission
Abstracts of up to 300 words may be submitted in English, Haitian Creole, or French Abstract Submission Deadline: February 15, 2023
Notification Deadline: March 7, 2023
Submit abstracts to: hsi-heritage-conf@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Panel participants have 15-20 minutes to present their paper.
Selected papers presented at the conference will be considered for publication. Conference will be remote and in-person.
Please address all correspondence regarding the conference to: hsi-heritage-conf@brooklyn.cuny.edu
The CUNY Haitian Studies Institute (CUNY HSI) at Brooklyn College is an academic unit that encourages and supports studies on Haiti and Haitians. It has a three-fold mission:
1) contribute to the production and dissemination of knowledge about Haitians and the Haitian Diaspora, while advancing the field of Haitian Studies through interdisciplinary research and
practice;
2) facilitate a community of collaboration with scholars of all ages, public intellectuals, university professors and students, schoolteachers, educational institutions conducting research on, or otherwise serving, Haiti and the Haitian community, and community-based organizations serving the Haitian diasporic community; and
3) engage in research practice and analysis that inform policy and program actions directed at Haiti and the Haitian diasporic community.
https://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/academics/centers/hsi.php