Transnational Hispaniola: Toward New Paradigms in Haitian and Dominican Studies

Abstract

In this piece by a collective of scholars, activists, and artists, the authors clarify what they mean by “Transnational Hispaniola” and why they believe this conceptualization of the island complements the work done by social movements combating sexism, racism, and homophobia. They assess the responses to their efforts so far — by people in the Dominican Republic and in the United States — to reflect critically upon the promises and limitations of this work. They end by explaining their goals for the future challenges as they plan a third (but hopefully not final) conference, this time in Haiti.

Reconceptualizing the Haitian Migration System in the Caribbean Basin: A Spatial Approach to Multi‐local Fields

“…This area of study is commonly related to mobility patterns in a multisited space and sheds light on the fluidity of Haitian migrants' relationship with place. Such studies in anthropology have paid attention to the spatial dimension of migration through the dynamics of long-distance migration as in the case of French Guiana (Laethier 2011), or cross-border mobility as in the case of transnational Hispaniola (Lundahl 2009;Mayes et al 2013)-including transnational trade and the circulation of art (Taylor 2014). Other writings have connected local and global processes by showing that the dynamics of the transnational field was essential to the development of the local migrant community in the areas of religion, politics, economy, and housing (Laethier 2011).…”

Uneven socio-ecologies of Hispaniola: Asymmetric capabilities for climate adaptation in Haiti and the Dominican Republic

“…One shoreline reportedly advanced 70 meters in June 2009, inundating a hotel and 15 houses. The region was also affected by Hurricane Dean (August, 2007) Hurricane Noel 7 Related efforts in building cross-border academic culture include the series of Transnational Hispaniola conferences, now in its third year (Mayes et al, 2013). 8 Temporal fluctuations in lake levels are not unique to these two lakes, but have occurred elsewhere in the world both historically and today.…”

Caribbean Exceptions: The Problem of Race and Nation in Dominican Studies

“…Recently pioneering this effort is the Transnational Hispaniola working group (seeMayes et al 2013). …”