Discover Top Posts Tagged with #color question

Mulberry and Mint-Chip for the "What Color Am I"!

Thank you so much! 🥺

(Also, mulberry was correct. I can’t drive. 😑)

Peony :D

Awww! Thank you! 😊

How many white Haitians live in Haiti currently? I have always had an interest in Haitian history, and I have been trying to find information about this often forgotten, yet important minority. I generally think of white Haitians being of European descent, and not Syrian-Lebanese Haitians, although some could pass off as white. What European countries do most white Haitians have descendants from? Also, how are they treated by black Haitians? Do they generally suffer racism?

Hi! Many thanks for your question although I would not know where to begin to answer it.

While Haitians do generally, on a more societal level make a distinction between “blacks” and “malâtres,” I do not believe that on a political level, especially in this post-Duvalier Haiti that they do (at least as far as proper census data is concerned). Therefore, finding traces of “white Haitians” in archives, while not impossible, would be difficult (especially given that what you may describe as “white Haitians” officials at different times might have described as foreigners). Such an endeavour would also force the question of what in fact, makes someone “white” in a Haitian context. What I mean by this is that attitudes about race and colour have evolved throughout Haitian history. Any study on “white” Haitians would require to historicise what different words mean at different moments for different people. To be “malâtres” or indeed “white” in early 19th century Haiti does not necessarily mean the same as those words might suggest today. Moreover, as it is the case in many other Latin American countries, multiple discourses about race have existed simultaneously in Haiti. So before we can even get to the first half of your question, there would have to be a true effort to pinpoint who and what exactly is being studied.

On to the second part of your question:

What European countries do most white Haitians have descendants from? Also, how are they treated by black Haitians? Do they generally suffer racism?

Many Haitians of European decent seem to have ancestry from France, Italy and Germany, but as this is not one of my areas of expertise, I suggest you check the work of Brenda Gayle Plummer, especially her two books Haiti and the great powers, 1902-1915 (1988) and Haiti and the United States: The Psychological Moment (1992). I know Plummer, especially in the case of pre-Occupation Haiti, has looked at the presence of foreign European merchants in the country. You can also try to contact Prof. Plummer directly with your question. I do not know her personally but she might be able to help you and/or redirect you to the appropriate sources.

As for how these “white” Haitians are treated by “blacks” and the possible racism they suffer… I, ummh, I don’t think I even want to go there, unless, of course, we start a long discussion on the colour question in Haiti and we engage at least at some level with the very good literature on white supremacy, racism and power emerging from the United States.

At any rate, I hope you will take my comments about historicising and contextualising race seriously and that you will find what you are looking for. Best!

#haiti #haitian history #race #ask #color question #Anon

Are there any important books I should read to better understand the status and lives of free people of color in Haiti prior to the Revolution (so in the colonial period)?

Hello, yes, there are many books/articles you can read on this topic as it has attracted a lot of scholarly interest, notably in the United States.

Here are a few from our #HaitiSyllabus:

Before Haiti: Race and Citizenship in French Saint-Domingue by John D. Garrigus (he has written a lot on the topic therefore, you should consider most of his work for your research);

From Dessalines to Duvalier: Race, Colour and National Independence in Haiti by David Nicholls (a bit outdated and at times controversial, but the early chapters should be of interest to you);

“Blue and Brown: Contraband Indigo and the Rise of a Free Colored Planter Class in French Saint-Domingue“ by John D. Garrigus ;

“Colour, class and identity on the eve of the Haitian revolution: Saint‐Domingue’s free coloured elite as colons américains“ by John D. Garrigus;

“Divided to the Vein: The Problem of Race, Colour and Class Conflict in Haitian Nation-Building, 1804-1820” by Hilary Beckles in Caribbean Freedom: Economy and Society from Emancipation to the Present ;

“De l’origine du préjugé de couleur en Haïti” by Dominique Rogers (if you read French, this is another one of those “interesting, yet somewhat controversial” look at the colour question, from the Colonial era to the more times);

and “Motion in the System: Coffee, Color, and Slavery in Eighteenth-Century Saint-Domingue“ by Michel-Rolph Trouillot.

I hope this helps!

#ask #anon #color question #color #colorism #haiti #haitian history

I was curious.. does haiti still recognize mulattoes and black people as two separate races like the dr, cuba, and brasil do or is it more just colorism?

Hello, many thanks for your question although it seems to be more concerned with contemporary Haiti than with history per say.

The question of colour in Haiti was/is complex and depending on the period (and the speaker) I would not be very conformable talking about different “races” (unless, of course, we went on to define race as it was understood as a political and social category in Haiti and historicize the processes that made such categorizations possible).

Now, as to whether it is used today (as a “legal” and political category compared to other Latin American countries, as I believe this is your question), I would say that in official discourses, it is not. I think we can all agree that in this post-Duvalier period, given the centrality that took the colour question in the past era, very few people today would venture in this route (although transgressions are not impossible).

Today, on more societal and cultural levels, while we could argue that at least in some circles “blacks” and “mulattoes” do constitute different entities, to say that the two are viewed as representing separate “races” might not be exactly accurate. (I mean here that while the two are indeed used, they seem to be utilized to mark social differentiation and maybe not “race” in the way that it would be comprehended today in the United States.)

*Interestingly enough, Haiti-Reference (which is not exactly a “scholarly site” but still one that is very respected and usually has up to date and accurate information) lists in its Fact Sheet on Haiti that there are two “ethnic groups” in the country that is, blacks and mulattoes. While we cannot use Haiti-Reference as a state-sanctioned source or as something that is necessarily representative of how most Haitians feel, I still believe that it offers us a small window into how Haitians (notably in Haiti) view their world. The use of ethnicity instead of race appears significant and revealing (again, granted that we investigate what those words might mean in different Haitian contexts).

The book has many problems and I do think that the author might be overstating his case at times but I would still recommend reviewing From Dessalines to Duvalier: Race, Colour and National Independence in Haiti by David Nicholls which has become a classic. You can also see our reading suggestions on Color, Class and Race in Haiti.

I will ask admin C to update this post if he can point to more recent scholarship on this question but I would advise to stay critical of the positionality of the authors as we know American and English-speaking authors do tend to have different sensibilities when discussing race (– sensibilities – I might add, that may differ from that of Haitians).

I hope this somewhat answered your question!

#ask #anon #haiti #haitian history #color question #latin america #Jean Jacques Dessalines #1805 constitution #It is very late and I should be in bed

Mulâtrisme

We have discussed noirisme and the nuances of it on this blog in the past. In order to have a fuller understanding of the color question as it relates to Haitian history and politics, we must discuss the counterpart, ‘mulâtrisme,’ a similar dynamic in Haitian history, politics, and society. In short, mulatrisme seeks to emphasize the role of ‘mixed-race’ elites in Haiti history, to justify their role in the country, and to assert their primary role in Haitian history. Much like the ‘noiriste legend’ of Haiti’s past, the ‘mulatto legend,’ as David Nicholls defines it, likewise distorts Haiti’s past and present for political purposes.

One must keep in mind that race is a social construct which changes across time and place. It is not helpful to use US racial constructs for understanding other countries. One important example of this is the socially-defined categories of “race” for people of mixed racial origins, who were defined by various categories in the colonial era. Some of these terms, which persist today, make it clear that the US rule of hypodescent is not the best framework to approach Haiti or other Caribbean societies. The differences between “mulâtres” and “noirs” also have a basis in status before the abolition of slavery. Those who free before emancipation were disproportionately “mulâtres” while those were who enslaved were mostly “noirs.” The conflicts over land, resources, and political control were often between the ancien libres and nouveaux libres, although it would be exaggeration to speak of it solely in terms of race or color. Regionalism, class, and other forces shaped the alliances and conflicts in early Haiti. When invoked by politicians or writers, such as Salomon or Ardouin, color often became a tool to gather support or defend the elite in charge.

Mulatrisme operated in various Haitian governments until around 1946, after the Lescot coup, also discussed previously on this blog. Although, as Alex Dupuy and other Haitian scholars have pointed out, it would be mistaken or misleading to use race or color alone for understanding political events in the past, it is a salient feature of Haitian politics since the Revolution. Toussaint Louverture used his skin color, according to Madison Smartt Bell, to rally the masses to his cause during his power struggle with Rigaud. Vincent Ogé and subsequent “mulattoes,” like Ardouin, argued that mixed-race people were better fit to rule the island because of their greater proximity to Europe and being a product of the island. Boyer was perceived by many as using a “mulatto gerontocracy” in his regime, according to Robert Fatton. Other politicians or intellectuals of mixed-race origins took advantage of color to install black puppet heads of government, a process which evolved after the fall of Boyer, the politique de doublure. Trouillot explains this in light of mulâtrisme’s dangerously close to racist ideas, so that mulatrisme often expanded the category of clairs over time while extending political alliances or close ties between blacks and mulattoes.

Color was also taken advantage of by ‘blacks’ and ‘mulattoes’ to justify their political rule, garner popular support, and overthrow despots of the opposing sides. As explained by Dupuy, Trouillot, and others, the ‘color question’ was usually about power and seizing one’s share of the fruits of the political system. Coups, corruption, fleecing the public purse was an active policy from both ‘mixed-race’ and ‘black’ elites, who both shared a similar contempt for the rural majority. Color, therefore, often provided one scapegoat or way in which competing elites fought for support, without addressing the needs of the rural majority.

Today, mulatrisme appears less significant, yet perceptions of color still shape Haitian political discourse. Fatton, for instance, alludes to epithets such as ti wouj being hurled at light-skinned Haitians engaged in politics, such as former Lavalas allies. The color question continues to haunt Haitian social relations. One should avoid attributing everything to color, since class is an overarching feature, a perception of Haitian inequality underscored by an old proverb: Milat pov se neg, neg rich se milat. Color, and certain preferences based on color, hair texture, or facial features remain, nonetheless, tied with certain biases common to the Caribbean region.

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