This book club welcomes students and scholars, both inside and outside the academy, to a series of discussions of The Haitians: A Decolonial History, author Jean Casimir’s landmark work of theory and history. Beginning in August, the club will hold four virtual, monthly meetings, free and open to the public. During these meetings, participants will focus our discussion on one of the following themes: translation; slavery and freedom; sovereignty and the state; and colonialism and decoloniality. The Haitians encourages deeper consideration or even re-thinking of all four of these themes. An invited scholar or pair of scholars will lead each discussion and lend their expertise to our collective attempt to do this intellectual work and think about Haiti and the world through The Haitians.
To help participants through The Haitians and our discussion, the co-conveners of the book club have provided a readers’ guide. This guide includes a suggested summer reading schedule of The Haitians, a brief chronology of Haitian history, a list of key people mentioned in The Haitians, and a set of key terms/concepts that Casimir re-theorizes or that might be unfamiliar to readers. It also includes a few suggested readings and resources, relevant to each theme, for consideration alongside The Haitians.
In addition to this readers’ guide, the co-conveners have also provided a comments section for each of the four discussions. This space will allow participants to pose questions and offer their thoughts in the days and weeks leading up to each thematic discussion. It will remain open after the live event to facilitate ongoing engagement with the text and with one another.
To be part of the conversation, the ask is simple: get a copy of The Haitians, read it with care and consideration, share your thoughts in this digital space, and join our monthly meetings. The University of North Carolina Press has generously offered to help make the first ask as feasible as possible. Readers can secure a copy of The Haitians through the UNC Press website at a 40% discount using the code 01DAH40.
The book club will culminate in a live, in-person event featuring Jean Casimir. This keynote will be held in Spring 2022 and will feature a leading scholar in conversation with Casimir. Planning is underway and more details about this exciting conclusion to The Haitians book club are forthcoming.
Along with our partner organizations, the Haitian Studies Association, the African American Intellectual History Society, and the Princeton University Humanities Council, we appreciate your participation and hope that this club is just the start of an exciting and important conversation! For inquiries, please contact thehaitiansbookclub@gmail.com.
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RastafarI love. I would love to participate in this great lecture and discussion for the “ Haitian Book Club”. I’m…
Wonderful!
Just received my book today (late to the party!) Will try and catch up.
Given the recent assassination of President Moïse, it’ll be interesting to juxtapose the narratives, framing, and incentives included in this…
Yes, we agree! Please email us at thehaitiansbookclub@gmail.com if you need access to the materials.