25th Annual Conference: Representations, Revisions, Responsibilities—Toward New Narratives for Haiti in 2013 and Beyond

The Haitian Studies Association announces its 25th annual conference, “Representations, Revisions, Responsibilities—Toward New Narratives for Haiti in 2013 and Beyond,” to be held November 7-9, 2013, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The deadline for proposals is May 1, 2013.

Description: Haiti is often cast by outsiders as a mysterious nation that is exotic, uncivilized, and inherently dangerous. Such misrepresentations are by no means a vestige of the past; rather, they resonate with ongoing depictions of Haiti as either positively or negatively “unique.” Whether Haiti is celebrated as the Western Hemisphere’s “first black sovereign republic” or pitied as its “poorest nation,” the allure of such portrayals compels us to evaluate the impact of persistent stereotypes, to reexamine the stories we continue to tell about Haiti, and to analyze the role of Haitian Studies post-earthquake, as we move beyond the silver anniversary of the association’s founding. While global media often construct Haitians as…