Haiti: State Against Nation

by Michel-Rolph Trouillot

In the euphoria that followed the departure of Haiti's hated dictator, Jean-Claude Duvalier, most Haitian and foreign analysts treated the regimes of the two Duvaliers, father and son, as a historical nightmare created by the malevolent minds of the leaders and their supporters. Yet the crisis, economic and political, that faces this small Caribbean nation did not begin with the dictatorship, and is far from being solved, despite its departure from the scene. In this fascinating study, Haitian-born Michel-Rolph Trouillot examines the mechanisms through which the Duvaliers ruthlessly won and then held onto power for twenty-nine years. Trouillot's theoretical discussion focuses on the contradictory nature of the peripheral state, analyzing its relative autonomy as a manifestation of the growing disjuncture between state and nation. He discusses in detail two key characteristics of such the need for a rhetoric of "national unity" coupled with unbridled violence. At the same time, he traces the current crisis from its roots in the nineteenth-century marginalization of the peasantry through the U.S. occupation from 1915 to 1934 and into the present. He ends with a discussion of the post-Duvalier period, which, far from seeing the restoration of civilian-led democracy, has been a period of increasing violence and economic decline.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Anthropology

225 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1989

About the author

Michel-Rolph Trouillot was a Haitian academic and anthropologist. He was Professor of Anthropology and of Social Sciences at the University of Chicago. Rolph (as he was known conversationally) was the son of Ernst Trouillot and Anne-Marie Morisset, both Black intellectuals from Port-au-Prince. His father was a lawyer and his uncle, Hénock Trouillot was a professor who worked in the National Archives of Haiti. Hénock was an influential noiriste historian. He attended the Petit Séminaire Collège Saint-Martial, moving on to the École Normale Supérieure. However, faced with repression from the Duvalier regime in 1968, Trouillot joined a mass exodus of students who found refuge in New York.

In 2011 Trouillot was awarded the Frantz Fanon Lifetime Achievement Award, which is given annually by the Caribbean Philosophical Association in recognition of work of special interest to Caribbean thought.

In 1977 his first book Ti dife boule sou Istwa Ayiti on the origins of the Haitian slave revolution was published. It has been described as "the first book-length monograph written in Haitian Creole." In July 2012, Université Caraïbe Press reprinted this masterful work. Trouillot's lifetime of work presented a vision for anthropology and the social sciences, informed by historical depth and empirical examination of Caribbean societies.

Trouillot died on July 5, 2012.

Reviews

[Marc Lamot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very thorough study of Haitian history and of the problematic state of that nation, around 1990. Now that may seem a bit outdated, and it is, but the conclusion of Trouillot still is very accurate: "The main argument of this book is that the Duvalier state emerged as the result of a long-term process that was marked by an increasing disjuncture between political and civil society".

[Schneider Rancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive historical review of the construction of Haiti's social, economic, and political structures, and how these very constructions contributed to an exacerbated an already present socioeconomic schism between Haiti's peasantry and its elitist, metropolitan, bourgeoisie-ruled capital.

My two major gripes were Trouillot's occasional use of defaming incendiary language when describing Haiti's elitists. While criticizing the colorism inherent to class constructions in Haiti's he becomes guilty himself of colorist rhetoric depicting mulattoes as greedy pigs. Subjective, personally-motivated rhetoric is not suited for the objective social sciences, and prejudiced language is particularly dangerous for those who produce new knowledge and thereby create, shape, and cultivate ways of thinking. Trouillot also sometimes makes sweeping generalizations without including the figures/citations in the text as evidence, which can make it difficult to accept some of his points. It could also, I suppose, simply be that he is presuming the reader has had a similar overview of the social field and may hold his points as self-evident - but this is a mistake!

Otherwise, however, really an essential text for those seeking a thorough and overall impressive historical cataloging of Haiti's sociocultural, economic, and political spheres - great stuff.

[Wissenville · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent analysis from the late Michel-Rolph Trouillot of national history and the dynamics between state and civil society. A perfect introduction to not only Haitian history but Haiti as a society.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fascinating read, and decently accessible to someone who knows little about Haitian history. I feel like I want to revisit the book after learning more about Haiti, in order to better appreciate Trouillot's arguments.