HAITIANS
AND AMERICA
Haitians and African Americans: A Heritage of Tragedy and
Hope. By Leon D. Pamphile. Gainesville: University Press
of Florida, 2001. xviii + 238 pp. Notes, bibliography, and index. $55.00
(cloth).
Georges Woke Up Laughing: Long-Distance Nationalism and the Search for
Home. By Nina Glick Schiller and Georges Eugene Fouron.
Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 2001. x + 324 pp. Illustrations,
notes, bibliography, and index. $59.95 (cloth); $19.95 (paper).
Lester P. Lee, Jr.
Northeastern University
In Haitians and African Americans: A Heritage of Tragedy and Hope, Leon
D. Pamphile, a Haitian educator and historian, traces the linkages between
Haitians and African Americans from the Age of Revolution to the present.
Each of the book's eight chapters draws attention to those pivotal events
that enabled an articulate minority of intellectuals, artists, and politicians
in the two African descent groups to support each other in their struggles.
For African Americans, the Haitian Revolution, the emergence of Haiti
as the first black republic, and Haitian nationalism were important sources
of inspiration in their fight against slavery and racism. For Haitians,
African American support was critical whenever political turmoil, diplomatic
isolation, and economic distress threatened Haiti's sovereignty. For both,
race and race consciousness were instrumental in constructing their national
identities. However, important differences exist between Haitians and
African Americans.
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