Modifying Haitian Images in the Miami Media from 1979 Through 2010 in Advent of Social Media
MODIFYING HAITIAN IMAGES IN THE MIAMI MEDIA FROM 1979 THROUGH 2010 IN ADVENT OF SOCIAL MEDIA by Yven Destin BA, Morehouse College, 2006 MA, University of Chicago, 2007 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Pittsburgh 2016 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH DIETRICH SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES This dissertation was presented by Yven Destin It was defended on March 14th, 2016 and approved by Dr. Joyce Bell, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology Dr. Laurence Glasco, Associate Professor, Department of History Dr. Akiko Hashimoto, Emeritus Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Co- Chair Dr. Kathleen Blee, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research, Chair ii Copyright © by Yven Destin 2016 iii MODIFYING HAITIAN IMAGES IN THE MIAMI MEDIA FROM 1979 THROUGH 2010 IN ADVENT OF SOCIAL MEDIA Yven Destin, PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2016 This study analyzes the racialization of the immigrant Other in the American media by exploring the images of Haitians deployed in three different newspapers—Miami Herald, Miami Times, and Haiti-Observateur—that are directed to racially/ethnically distinct readers. I examine the positive and negative images of Haitians in these papers and trace their development over time. Specifically, I examine the reportage of Haitians over three events: the boatlift crisis of 1979, the AIDS epidemic crisis of 1983, and the earthquake of 2010. This study asks, is there an existing hegemonic view of Haitians in which race is a primary signifier in the American media? My study applies the concept of controlling images, the idea that racialized images are commonly deployed in the American media, to shed light on the production and reproduction of racism toward Haitians.
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