Délide, Joseph
Genesis of Haitian Cultural Nationalism. The Literacy Circle from 1836-1839
- 2020.
77
This article introduces an original and well documented reflection on a key period in the history of Haitian cultural nationalism, the 1830s, in particular the historical and journalistic productions of intellectuals who gravitate toward Le Republicain newspaper in 1836 and 1837, and L’Union newspaper in 1837 and 1838. The author recognizes that the genesis of Haitian cultural nationalism was generally developed during the American occupation between 1915 and 1934, with the birth of the Indigenist movement. It is impossible to give thought to this movement without remembering the contributions from 1830 nationalists such as the Nau brothers, Lespinasse, Ardouin, Devimeux, Smith and Madiou. This article puts forward three fundamental arguments, which describe the commitment of Haitian intellectuals who came together to create a Literary Circle that places Haiti in the Caribbean context and as a model country for freedom, assert the need to define a Haitian identity free from the French mold, and equip Haiti with a history written down by Haitians for Haitians.