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.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
?[D]ash has given us a book which is worth reading. If it raises more questions than it answers, that is in the very nature of his subject: the complex, elusive and invariably intellectually intractable panorama of Haitian history.?-Caribbean Studies
About the Author
J. MICHAEL DASH is a Professor of French at New York University, and is a specialist of Haitian culture and literature.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Too much history,
By Amanda Malek (Silver Spring, MD United States) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Culture and Customs of Haiti (Culture and Customs of Latin America and the Caribbean) (Paperback)
Nearly half of the book goes over the history of Haiti. I've already taken Haitian history classes and was hoping for more insight into the culture and customs rather than facts of how Haiti came to be a country. Now that the earthquake has changed the course of Haiti forever, this book is outdated. It is well written and easy to understand. I just wish it gave greater emphasis to present-day Haiti, even if it is pre-earthquake information.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very few books on Haiti with as much truth as this one,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Culture and Customs of Haiti (Culture and Customs of Latin America and the Caribbean) (Paperback)
I have read many books on Haiti history and culture. This short, and concise book is the most accurate, unbiased view I have found. The history is greatly needed in order to understand why Haiti is where it is at today. Take your time with the history, understand it, and you will then have a much greater appreciation for the good and evil in Haitian society in the 21st century. This book did a good job even addressing the culture of religion in Haiti without offending those of us who are working hard to proclaim Christ there. If you are serious about understanding Haitian people and their country, buy this book with confidence that you are not getting political statements from an author with their own political agenda. It is inexpensive and concise as a bonus.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
IF THERE is one feature of Haitian geography that has marked Haiti's history and the impression that it has inevitably left on visitors to that country, it is the ruggedness of its mountainous landscape. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
vaudou religion, vaudou priests, vaudou ceremony, marvelous realism, mulatto elite, peasant religion, primitive artists, folk forms Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, New York, Dominican Republic, North America, Peter Costantini, Francois Duvalier, Jacques Roumain, African American, Boukman Eksperyans, Latin America, Radio Soleil, André Breton, Baby Doc, Western Hemisphere, Carl Brouard, Franck Etienne, Henri Christophe, Jacques Stephen Alexis, James Leyburn, Papa Doc, Baron Samedi, Bois Caiman, Calfou Dangere, Haiti Observateur, Haitian Americans New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
IF THERE is one feature of Haitian geography that has marked Haiti's history and the impression that it has inevitably left on visitors to that country, it is the ruggedness of its mountainous landscape. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
vaudou religion, vaudou priests, vaudou ceremony, marvelous realism, mulatto elite, peasant religion, primitive artists, folk forms Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, New York, Dominican Republic, North America, Peter Costantini, Francois Duvalier, Jacques Roumain, African American, Boukman Eksperyans, Latin America, Radio Soleil, André Breton, Baby Doc, Western Hemisphere, Carl Brouard, Franck Etienne, Henri Christophe, Jacques Stephen Alexis, James Leyburn, Papa Doc, Baron Samedi, Bois Caiman, Calfou Dangere, Haiti Observateur, Haitian Americans New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 47
books:
See all 47 books this book cites
5
books
cite this book:
- The Haitian People (Caribbean Series) by James Graham Leyburn on 5 pages
- Magic Island by W. B. Seabrook on 4 pages
- Haiti: The Black Republic by Seldon Rodman on page 49, page 167, and Back Matter
- The Rainy Season: Haiti Since Duvalier by Amy Wilentz on page 48, page 74, and Back Matter
- The Serpent and the Rainbow: A Harvard Scientist's Astonishing Journey into the Secret Societies of Haitian Voodoo, Zombis, and Magic by Wade Davis on page 30, page 74, and Back Matter
See all 47 books this book cites
- Ecrire en Pays Assiege Haiti Writing Under Siege (Francopolyphonies 1) by Kathleen M. Balutansky in Front Matter, and page 33
- The Haitian Americans (The New Americans) by Flore Zephir in Back Matter
- Revolutionary Freedoms: A History of Survival, Strength, by Cécile Accilien in Back Matter
- Culture and Customs of El Salvador: (Culture and Customs of Latin America and the Caribbean) by Roy C. Boland in Front Matter
- Francophone Postcolonial Studies: A Critical Introduction by Charles Forsdick in Front Matter
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