Reading the Haitian Revolution

The Haitian Revolution (1791-1803), in which the enslaved in France’s richest Caribbean colony threw off their chains and defeated the European colonial powers, was a seismic event in modernity. As an “unthinkable” revolution that was silenced by later (according to Michel-Rolph Trouillot) history yet was ubiquitously discussed at the time, the Haitian Revolution calls into question the very meaning of an “event” and challenges the fundamental organizing terms of the modern era. In this class, we will study this revolution, its representations, and its legacies into the present. We’ll pay special attention to the archive that records the experiences of the Haitian revolutionaries themselves, from poems, songs, and plays to political texts, and we’ll also be interested in reactions from Romantic-era writers in Europe like William Wordsworth and Victor Hugo. How was the revolution written and expressed by its participants, and what can we learn from the depictions it solicitated in those reading about the event from afar? In the last weeks, the course will also take up important historical, literary, and philosophical treatments of the Haitian Revolution in the twentieth-century.

This course is open to advanced undergraduates and to graduate students. As a 4000-level seminar, you’ll be expected to produce a research paper related to the course material at the conclusion. Some reading knowledge of French would be helpful but is not required.