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Counter-Narratives: Haitians in Economic Transition

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Counter-Narratives: Haitians in Economic Transition The University of San Francisco USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center Doctoral Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects 2020 COUNTER-NARRATIVES: HAITIANS IN ECONOMIC TRANSITION Patricia Barthaud University of San Francisco, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.usfca.edu/diss Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Barthaud, Patricia, "COUNTER-NARRATIVES: HAITIANS IN ECONOMIC TRANSITION" (2020). Doctoral Dissertations. 543. https://repository.usfca.edu/diss/543 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects at USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The University of San Francisco COUNTER-NARRATIVES: HAITIANS IN ECONOMIC TRANSITION A Dissertation Presented To The Faculty of the School of Education Department of International Multicultural Education In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education By Patricia Barthaud University of San Francisco July 2020 THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO Dissertation Abstract Counter-Narratives: Haitians in Economic Transition The stories of Haiti and the Haitian people have often been filtered through the sensibilities of those who are not of that nation nor of African ancestry. Haitian people deserve the opportunity to tell their authentic stories of their lived realities. This study presents the stories of a small group of Haitian young people under the age of 40 who incorporated their passions into viable work to improve economic circumstances for themselves, their communities, and their country. Based upon narrative inquiry, data collection included interviews, observations, and documents gathered in Haiti. The results produced a complex portrait of participants who embraced opportunities and mitigated obstacles as best as they were able. Participants also offered suggestions for effective partnerships with INGOs. Despite frustration with the negative media images projected onto Haitians from the global community, the participants expressed a distinct love of their country and desire for respect from the rest of the world. Overall, this study’s participants offered a sense of joy in their Haitian identity and an understanding that their individual and collective success would contribute to Haiti’s standing in the world. ii This dissertation, written under the direction of the candidate’s dissertation committee and approved by the members of the committee, has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty of the School of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. The content and research methodologies presented in this work represent the work of the candidate alone. Patricia Barthaud July 15, 2020 Candidate Date Dissertation Committee Susan Roberta KatZ July 15, 2020 Chairperson Shabnam Koirala AZad April 30, 2020 Genevieve Negron Gonzales April 30, 2020 iii DEDICATION For my mother, Gloria Manuel Broussard, and my grandmother, Amelia Hector Manuel. Thank you for instilling in me the love of words, reading, art, dance and music. Thank you for exposing me to different religions, languages, nature, and the example of reaching higher to quench my curiosity and explore possibilities. Most significantly, thank you for stressing the importance of the Golden Rule: Do unto others as ye shall have them do unto you. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There is no way I would have been able to accomplish this milestone without the encouragement of my family, friends, fellow students, and my dissertation committee. I extend my deepest gratitude to my committee chairperson, Dr. Susan Roberta KatZ. Thank you for your patience, kindness and empathy as we completed this journey together. Thank you to Dr. Shabnam Koirala AZad for suggesting another path toward my scholarship. Your words and warmth have guided my inquiry and will continue to do so in the future. Thank you to Dr. Genevieve Negron Gonzales for challenging my assumptions. To my fellow students in this wonderful program dedicated to Human Rights Education: the brilliance of thought and action I witnessed from you expanded my vision of academe and my place in it. Thank you, my Diss Buddy, Dr. Nancy Ryoo. Thank you, Dr. Maisha Beasley, Dr. Annie Adamian, Dr. Melissa Canlas, and Victoria Isabel Duran. To my friends who have gracefully walked with me through the many fluctuations of this journey, thank you is not enough recognition, yet I humbly offer it to you all. A special note of gratitude to Rella LaFear, Patricia Forte, and Karen Anzaldo who suffered through many phone conversations with my craZe on the other end of the line. Thank you to my Writing Salon colleagues Janet Mills and Pamela Holton. Without your dedication to the written word, your humor and support, this journey might not be complete. Thank you to my family who did not always understand why I would approach this milestone at my age in the first place and supported me anyway. To my sister Cynthia Broussard, thank you for putting up with my sometimes mercurial moods v through all of your health issues. To my lovely son Yves-Langston Barthaud, I so appreciate your steadfast belief in my capabilities. You inspire me most of all. Finally, this dissertation would not exist if it had not been for the cooperation and generosity of the study participants. They opened their hearts to me and worked with me even when I am sure it was inconvenient. As my work continues, I will try to earn the trust the participants put in my scholarship. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii SIGNATURE PAGE ......................................................................................................... iii DEDICATION .......... …………………………………………………………………….iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............………………………………………………………..v CHAPTER 1: THE RESEARCH PROBLEM ··················································· 1 Personal Introduction ...........................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem .....................................................................................................3 Background and Need ..........................................................................................................9 U.S. Economic Policy Toward Haiti ...........……………………………………...11 International Non-Governmental (INGO) Aid ..........……………………………12 Haitian People Under the Age of 40 ..........………………………………………14 Purpose of the Study… ..............…………………………………………………………16 Research Questions… ..............…………………………………………………………..17 Theoretical Framework… ..............………………………………………………………18 Postcolonial Theory ...............................................................................................18 Limitations .........................................................................................................................23 Delimitations ......................................................................................................................23 Significance of the Study ...................................................................................................24 CHAPTER 11: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ..........................................................28 Introduction ........................................................................................................................28 Racism Against African Peoples: A Post-Colonial Perspective ........................................28 Poverty is Produced ...........................................................................................................29 Haiti from the Inside ..........................................................................................................31 Racism Against Haitians: Migrants to Other Countries ....................................................32 Haitian Agency ..................................................................................................................41 The Haitian Revolution ......................................................................................................42 Lavalas ...................................................................................................................43 Neighbor to Neighbor ............................................................................................44 UniFa......................................................................................................................46 Fonkoze ..................................................................................................................46 Identity through Agency ....................................................................................................48 Summary ............................................................................................................................48 CHAPTER 111: METHODOLOGY .................................................................................52 Restatement of the Purpose of the Study ...........................................................................52 Research Design .................................................................................................................52
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