Haiti and the United States

I have finally read one of my favorite professor's books, Haiti and the United States. In this accessible, short, well-sourced text, Plummer expertly traces the trajectory of relations between Haiti and the United States (while also looking at the role of Haitian relations with other states in Latin America and the Caribbean). She begins with an overview of Saint Domingue and the Haitian Revolution (not neglecting the importance of colonial smuggling and trade between Saint Domingue and the US) and ends with late 20th century Haitian history (the fall of Baby Doc, the election of Aristide, and the coup). The main benefits of Plummer's analysis are to emphasize the role of US imperialism in shaping Caribbean economic and political fortunes, stressing the significance of the Dominican factor in Haitian history (as well as relations between Haiti and Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela) and placing Haiti's history in a larger narrative of US and European imperialism.

Given my experience with Plummer's other work on Haiti as focusing on international trade and economic exchange in Haiti prior to the US occupation (focusing on the role of foreign and semi-foreign merchants who, with their flexible nationalities and ties to metropolitan capital, replaced Haitians and increased Haitian dependency on foreign markets and control), this text is very much aligned with a broader 'left' interpretation of Haitian history and relations with the US. Indeed, much like Plummer's lecturing style, the text's 'leftism,' of which I am generally in agreement with, is usually subtle and thoroughly academic in presentation. In short, Plummer's analysis is a well-written introduction on the problems facing the Haitian state, an examination of Haitian scholarly communities and their writings, trade and conflict with the US, Haitian relations with neighbors in the Caribbean, and the class/color divisions of Haitian society.