The Journal of Haitian Studies, Volume 16, Number 1, Spring 2010: Re-Conceiving Hispaniola
Haitian Studies Association, 2010.
ISSN10903488.
“Re-Conceiving Hispaniola,” a bi-lingual issue published by The Journal of Haitian Studies (Volume 16, Number 1, Spring 2010) is out. This peer-reviewed “Special Issue” of JOHS was dedicated to one of the co-founders of the Spiralist Movement, Jean-Claude Fignolé, the keynote speaker at the Caribbean Unbound IV conference held on the campus of Franklin College in Lugano, Switzerland from April 2-4, 2009. Besides his prolific writing, Fignolé is also the mayor of Les Abricots in southwestern Haiti.
The “Dossier: Jean-Claude Fignolé” opens with a interview in Pétionville with Jean-Claude Fignolé conducted in French by Kathleen Gyssels and translated into English by Kaiama L. Glover. It is followed by the complete text, in French, of Fignolé's keynote lecture, “Marvelous Realism! Metamorphosis of the Real?,” a critique of Jacques Stephen Alexis' use of the term. The keynote presentation as well was translated into English by Kaiama L. Glover.
The remaining eleven articles and literary texts focus on Haitian borders and the difficulties of diaspora. The first of four sections, initiated by Stéphanie Bérard's article on Le bleu de l'île, a play by Evelyne Trouillot, deals with Caribbean theater. The second section focuses on border crossings.
The scholarly articles are punctuated with short literary texts, like Marie-Hélène Laforest's “Sounds of Haiti” and resumed in Fabienne Pasquet's moving text, “Mosaïque,” about the difficulties of being Haitian while residing far away from it. This “Special Issue” of The Journal of Haitian Studies was co-edited by Robert H. McCormick, Jr., the Editor-in-Chief, Sally Barbour and Sara Steinert-Borella.