Looking Beyond the Rubble Toward Louverturean Statecraft: the Post-Occupation State and the Historical Fault Line of Responsive Government in Haiti (1791-2016)
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University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Doctoral Dissertations Dissertations and Theses November 2017 LOOKING BEYOND THE RUBBLE TOWARD LOUVERTUREAN STATECRAFT: THE POST-OCCUPATION STATE AND THE HISTORICAL FAULT LINE OF RESPONSIVE GOVERNMENT IN HAITI (1791-2016) Moise St Louis University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_2 Part of the Latin American Studies Commons Recommended Citation St Louis, Moise, "LOOKING BEYOND THE RUBBLE TOWARD LOUVERTUREAN STATECRAFT: THE POST- OCCUPATION STATE AND THE HISTORICAL FAULT LINE OF RESPONSIVE GOVERNMENT IN HAITI (1791-2016)" (2017). Doctoral Dissertations. 1128. https://doi.org/10.7275/10650239.0 https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_2/1128 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations and Theses at ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LOOKING BEYOND THE RUBBLE TOWARD LOUVERTUREAN STATECRAFT: THE POST-OCCUPATION STATE AND THE HISTORICAL FAULT LINE OF RESPONSIVE GOVERNMENT IN HAITI (1791-2016) A Dissertation Presented By MOISE ST LOUIS Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY September 2017 Political Science © Copyright by Moise St. Louis 2017 All Rights Reserved LOOKING BEYOND THE RUBBLE TOWARD LOUVERTUREAN STATECRAFT: THE POST-OCCUPATION STATE AND THE HISTORICAL FAULT LINE OF RESPONSIVE GOVERNMENT IN HAITI (1791-2016) A Dissertation Presented By MOISE ST LOUIS Approved as to style and content by: _________________________________ Carlene Edie, Chair _________________________________ Dean Robinson, Member _________________________________ John Higginson, Member ______________________________ Jane Fountain, Chair Political Science Department DEDICATION To our heroes, who braved and defeated the most powerful armies in the world so we may live free. To Toussaint Louverture, who sought to craft a strong state and to Dessalines who was ridiculed as backward by neocolonial elites for securing the rights of women and undermining race as a category upon which politics should be based in the Haitian Constitution. This work is dedicated to the Haitian people, who have struggled against all odds to break the chains of oppression, and, who continue to struggle to secure their freedom and dignity against those who see freedom and human dignity as a threat to their power. HAITI PAP PERI! HAITI WILL NOT PERISH! This work is dedicated to my family, my wife Nicole, my daughters Isabella Rose and Alexa Marie, and my son Stefan Alexander, who suffered the long nights of my absence in their lives so this work could be done… I love you! To my father, Dr. Lucien St Louis, who saved Les Cayes from slaughter, and his brother, Judge Maxime St Louis, who safeguarded the rights of a peasant against an officer and was shot six times in retaliation but still insisted, until his death, that the rights of a person could not rest in his/her wealth, status and position but according to the law. To Grandfather Solidaire, who faced an Army, unafraid because “preserving his integrity and the lives of his neighbors were more important than the fear of death.” Your lives reflect the indomitable Haitian revolutionary slogan “LIBÈTÈ ou LANMÒ!”- liberty or death. To my grandparents Ileide and Joseph St Louis. who dedicated their lives to service, and Sister Monique St Louis who founded the first indigenous convent as a service to the nation and its people. The struggle to create a Haitian state worthy of the valor of its people continues. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I set out to provide a comprehensive political history of the Haitian State so that future generations may assess, without polemics, the path forward for a nation, that although targeted and maligned its entire existence, has been “the city on the Hill”, an inspiration to those seeking freedom, and a source of fear for those who deal in oppression and exploitation. That this labor of love has achieved completion because of the contributions of so many people is truly reflective of the Haitian motto, “L ’Union Fait La Force”. Naming all those who have supported me and contributed to this work would require several pages. You know who you are. There are, however, a few people, whose invaluable service ought to be acknowledged. I am blessed with family and friends, R. Michelle Tirado Pierre, Herland Walker Pierre, Therese Tirado Heilborn, Maxant and Sonia St Louis, Oksana Stowell, who have supported and believe in me. I am grateful to Sagine and Philippe Boigris who opened their home to me and supported the research, and Anne-Christele Boigris, who told me, “just go home, my mom will take care of you”. I am indebted to you. To Ronald Vulcain for his conversations and support, Marc-Elie who drove me to all the interviews and appointments, and Dr. Joseph Ferdinand who read the document with excitement, encouraging me to keep going, “because this is a work that will teach others what I never learned about my own country”. Even when dealing with the loss of your wife, you took time out to call asking me for the next chapter. To Fr. Mike Cronogue, who encouraged VI the completion of this work and passed away before seeing it, I miss you. I am grateful for being part of a loving family who understood the importance of the work. To my mother-in-law and father-in-law, Linda and Roger Pignataro for their encouragements and many days of babysitting to give me time to write, and especially Linda, for reading the manuscripts even with dry and painful eyes. My thanks also to Herbert-Walker Pierre for our countless conversations from beginning to end. I am particularly grateful to Professors Carlene Edie and John Bracey who have taught me how to connect the dots, and to never compromise truth for comfort. From my undergraduate senior thesis to my doctoral dissertation, I remain committed to your fierce and uncompromising analysis of the Black experience and the diaspora. Professor Edie, thank you for your patience, and the time and energy you have invested in me and in this work. Thank you for all the mentoring, prodding, intellectual engagements and for walking with me in this long and difficult path. I remain convinced that the ancestors placed you in my path as a testament that they are still amongst us. They have blessed you with the authenticity and ability to carry yourself as a brilliant Caribbean scholar, a Black diasporic woman, and in the fierce spirit of the Jamaican maroons without forgetting to laugh. I thank you for asking me tough questions without discouraging me, for pointing me in the right directions without undermining my vision and authenticity. Most importantly, I thank you for your expertise in engaging the Caribbean context with laser precision and forcing me to look carefully, deeply, and dispassionately and opt not for an easy analysis, but for VII something valuable and new. You have been an inspiration in my life since my undergraduate years, and an epitome of the power of Black Caribbean womanhood. Professor Robinson, your encouragement, patience, and friendship have been invaluable to me. Your broad intellectual focus and knowledge have made you an invaluable support. You have enriched my life with personal and intellectual discussions. Your focus on the common man and the impact of policies on their lives has been inspiring. Your mentoring and brotherly care has allowed me to stay steady in the face of insurmountable work and personal difficulty. When the analysis needed reinforcement, you asked subtle questions that sent me back to the drawing board excited about clarifying and strengthening my argument. Professor Higginson, most will say that they value your brilliant mind, your understanding, and love of history. My family and I continue to talk about your love, gentleness, and expressions of care. Your cross-regional knowledge and understanding of the history of Africa and its diaspora have been inspiring. I appreciate your wisdom and your suggestions and remain indebted to the support you have shown me. VIII ABSTRACT LOOKING BEYOND THE RUBBLE TOWARD LOUVERTUREAN STATECRAFT: THE POST-OCCUPATION STATE AND THE HISTORICAL FAULT LINE OF RESPONSIVE GOVERNMENT IN HAITI (1791-2016) SEPTEMBER 2017 MOISE ST LOUIS, B.A., POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST B.A., AFRO-AMERICAN STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST B.A., SOCIAL THOUGHT & POLITICAL ECONOMY, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST M.A., POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Ph. D., POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Carlene Edie This dissertation posits that the fragility of the Haitian state emerges from a key disjuncture from the state crafted by Northern Louverturean elites during and after the struggle for independence. Louverturean elites crafted a strong state that incorporated and regulated all national cleavages and interests as the basis for legitimacy and stability. This state secured their interests while regulating their capacity to circumvent the interests of other cleavages. Most importantly, it secured the rights of former slaves on whose exploitation other cleavages depended. The destruction of the Louverturean state by neocolonial IX elites and imposition of a neocolonial