Are You Mad Yet? Haiti as Blueprint and Cautionary Tale

Catalog description

In August 1791, in the French colony known as Saint Domingue, a group of enslaved people came together for a rasanblaj, a gathering, to plan one of the most important Black revolutions of our time. Since then, the country that we know as Ayiti (Haiti) has time and time again suffered for its relentless commitment to Blackness and Black Freedom. This course is designed to help students explore their relationship to Blackness using Haiti and the language of Kreyòl Ayisyen (Haitian Creole) as case studies. Students will learn the critical role that Haiti has played in Latin America and the Caribbean and in a larger global context. Readings will include works by C. L. R. James, James Baldwin, Felix Morriseau-Leroy, Edwidge Danticat, Gina Ulysse, and other Black & Haitian visionaries. The course will be supplemented by guest lectures, visits to Haitian cultural institutions in New York City, and more. Students will also learn how to make use of NYU's archival resources in the field of Haitian Studies.