The Haitians

A Decolonial History

By: Jean Casimir, Laurent Dubois - translator, Walter D. Mignolo - foreword

Narrated by: Janina Edwards

In this sweeping history, leading Haitian intellectual Jean Casimir argues that the story of Haiti should not begin with the usual image of Saint-Domingue as the richest colony of the 18th century. Rather, it begins with a reconstruction of how individuals from Africa, in the midst of the golden age of imperialism, created a sovereign society based on political imagination and a radical rejection of the colonial order, persisting even through the US occupation in 1915.

The Haitians also critically retheorizes the very nature of slavery, colonialism, and sovereignty. Here, Casimir centers the perspectives of Haiti's moun andeyo - the largely African-descended rural peasantry. Asking how these systematically marginalized and silenced people survived in the face of almost complete political disenfranchisement, Casimir identifies what he calls a counter-plantation system. Derived from Caribbean political and cultural practices, the counter-plantation encompassed consistent reliance on small-scale landholding. Casimir shows how lakou, small plots of land often inhabited by generations of the same family, were and continue to be sites of resistance even in the face of structural disadvantages originating in colonial times, some of which continue to be maintained by the Haitian government with support from outside powers.

©2020 The University of North Carolina Press (P)2021 Tantor

too redundant, no estructure, too repetitive

waste of time could be done in 5 hours too much repetition. not worth the time

Dull approach to a facinating country

In college I was fascinated by a lecture on Haiti and sought out books about it to learn more. At the time any easily available books were by outsiders. After reading a recent article about Haiti, my interest was rekindled and I looked to se what was available on Audible. This book was free so I gave it a shot. If you are very into the history of how a society forms you may like it. I am generally more a big events, big people history lover. This book is definitely not the latter. It is a very academic approach to history written for people who have an existing in-depth knowledge of Haitian History. I remember a lot, but the author's tendency to drop names and events into the book with no background or context makes it a challenging read. If you are new to Haiti, definitely give the book a pass. It is NOT a good starting point for understanding the nation's history. The first half heavily focuses on the transition from slave based colony to oligarchic exploitation of the former slaves after independence. The reader has a pleasant voice, but it can be monotone at times causing my mind to wander away from it.