Libète kòm Liberasyon: Relational Theorizations of Freedom in Haitian Literature Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on concepts of freedom in Haitian literature to demonstrate alternative epistemologies of freedom (libète in Haitian Creole) which could better account for histories of oppression and resistance, as well as complex webs of globalization. Drawing from Martinican philosopher Édouard Glissant’s theory of Relation, I contend that ideas of freedom found in Haitian literature can avoid static definitions that would emphasize strict individualism over the ethical considerations of the collective. While Haitian forms of libète can trace their roots back to pre-revolutionary Saint-Domingue, I focus on 20th-century and contemporary novels to demonstrate how views of freedom have developed in Haitian literature since the end of the United States occupation of Haiti in 1934. Through the use of literary analysis, philosophy, and intellectual history, my methodology demonstrates how Haitian authors enact theorizations of freedom that are more sophisticated than simple reiterations of French Republican forms of liberté. I consider five Haitian novels (Dezafi by Frankétienne, Amour by Marie Vieux-Chauvet, Gouverneurs de la rosée by Jacques Roumain, Rosalie l’infâme by Évelyne Trouillot, and La deuxième mort de Toussaint Louverture by Fabienne Pasquet), a play by Glissant (Monsieur Toussaint), and broader Antillean theory to argue that Haitian authors’ expressions of freedom tend to emphasize freedom as an unending, complex process of liberation, rather than an immovable category to be pinned down. With this argument, I assert that Haitian literature not only offers liberatory theories localized in Haitian experiences but also reverberates on a much larger scale. These relational views of liberation emphasize ecological environments, winding collective links, and chaotic notions of time to prioritize freedom as a constant and asymptotic goal. With a view toward the ethical responsibilities created by our deeply interconnected associations, relational liberation would encourage the expansion of liberatory political movements in the global community.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Listening to Libète 1

 

Frankétienne’s Dezafi in Relation: Spiral Rebellions and Global Zonbis 14     

                                   

Freedom as "Pouvoir Intime" in Marie Vieux-Chauvet’s Amour 61

 

Liberation at the Crossroads: Parahumanity in Jacques Roumain’s Gouverneurs de la rosée and Évelyne Trouillot’s Rosalie l’infâme 107  

 

“Une vision prophétique du passé”: Toussaint Louverture and the Specter of “Non-Histoire” 151

 

Epilogue: Poetic Liberasyon 183

 

Bibliography 188

About this Dissertation

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School	Laney Graduate School
Department	French
Degree	Ph.D.
Submission	Dissertation
Language	English
Research Field	Caribbean Studies Literature, Caribbean Philosophy
Keyword	Haitian Literature Caribbean Studies Glissant
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Deborah White, Emory University Valérie Loichot, Emory University
Committee Members	Subha Xavier, Emory University Geoffrey Bennington, Emory University

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