2011 Bartolomé de las Casas Lecture in Latin American Studies
African Diasporas in the Americas Event
182 Lillis, University of Oregon
Myriam Chancy—“Submission or Omission: Haiti’s Challenge in Latin America”
Professor of English at the University of Cincinnati, Myriam Chancy will seek to highlight the ways in which the concomitant myths surrounding Haiti, both in terms of it Revolution and cultural beliefs, have served regional ideas/ideals concerning sovereignty and human freedom while its day to day reality and increasing poverty has continued to buoy racial anxieties born of racialist enlightenment thinking predating its historical self-liberation. What challenges does Haiti pose for Latin America, the Caribbean, and scholars of the region? In what ways can we reconceive of Haiti in today’s context, post-earthquake, as a model for the future, given her fragile positionality in Latin American consciousness?
Moreover, she is an award-winning creative author, with various publications under her name such as the novels Spirit of Haiti and The Scorpion’s Claw. She is currently working on a novel dealing with relationships between New Orleans and Haiti. During the past year, she has been directly involved in relief efforts in Haiti, channeling material and human resources into the country. One of her concerns is preserving Haitian intellectual, cultural, and historical patrimony after the earthquake, as well as sustaining feminist organizing on the ground there.
Sponsored by the Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies. Co-sponsored by UO College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Romance Languages, Latin American Studies, Department of Ethnic Studies, The Americas Steering Committee, Newman Center, the Knight Law School, and the Center for the Study of Women in Society.