FIU hosts lecture on “Radicalism, Conflict, and Political Change” in early 20th century Haiti


WHAT: In 1934, the Republic of Haiti celebrated its 130th anniversary as an independent nation. That same year, another sort of Haitian independence occurred, as the United States ended nearly two decades of occupation. In the first comprehensive political history of post-occupation Haiti, historian Matthew Smith argues that the period from 1934 until the rise of dictator François “Papa Doc” Duvalier in 1957 constituted modern Haiti’s greatest moment of political promise. He will explore this theme in a lecture based on his recently published book titled Red and Black in Haiti: Radicalism, Conflict, and Political Change, 1934-1957. The lecture is sponsored by Florida International University’s Latin American and Caribbean Center, School of International and Public Affairs, and Digital Library of the Caribbean, as well as the Haitian Heritage Museum. The event is part of LACC’s 12th Annual Haitian Summer Institute. Red and Black in Haiti: Radicalism, Conflict, and Political Change, 1934-1957 will be available for purchase and signing at the event. 

WHO: Matthew J. Smith is a lecturer in History in the Department of History and Archaeology, at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, Jamaica. He earned a B.A. (Hons.) from the Department of History and a M.Sc. from the Department of Government at UWI Mona. Smith completed his doctoral studies in Latin American History with a minor in Modern U.S. History at the University of Florida. His main area of research is in Haitian politics and society after the U.S. occupation (1915-1934) and Haitian migration to Jamaica in the 19th and early 20th century. He has published several articles and book chapters on various aspects of Haitian history and politics, and more recently a book, Red and Black in Haiti: Radicalism, Conflict, and Political Change, 1934-1957 (UNC Press, 2009).  He has been the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship for graduate studies at the University of Florida; an Andrew Mellon Visiting Professorship at the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Duke University; and a Dubois-Mandela-Rodney Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Center for Afroamerican and African Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. At the UWI, he teaches undergraduate courses on Haitian history and U.S. history. Smith is a Board member of the Haitian Studies Association.  

WHEN AND WHERE: Thursday, July 2, 2009  at 6:30 p.m. at the Haitian Heritage Museum, 4141 NE 2nd Avenue, Suite 105C, Miami. The event is free and open to the public. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call the Latin American and Caribbean Center at 305-348-2894 or e-mail dloc@fiu.edu. The Haitian Heritage Museum can be reached at 305-371-5988

Media contact: Madeline Baró at 305-348-2234
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About FIU:
Florida International University was founded in 1965 and is Miami’s only public research university. With a student body of more than 38,000, FIU graduates more Hispanics than any other university in the country. Its 17 colleges and schools offer more than 200 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations and law. FIU has been classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a “High Research Activity University.” In 2006 FIU was authorized to establish a medical school, which will welcome its first class in 2009. FIU’s College of Law recently received accreditation in the fastest time allowed by the American Bar Association.