Valcin also broached similar subjects and themes of gender, race, class, color, and identity in her writings, particularly the 1934 novel, La Blanche Négresse. As explained by Haitian-Canadian scholar Myriam Chancy, through criticism of the brutal, racist and sexist US Occupation of Haiti (1915-1934) and the ways in which indigeniste Haitian ideologues could go too far in embracing 'African roots," Valcin sought to find a 'middle way' for the identity of the Haitian women that was empowered, not subject to the confines of patriarchal marriage, and open to the multiple cultural and racial elements of Haiti. In short, Valcin's novel weaves together themes of race, gender, sexuality, the 'tragic mulatta,' and Haitian national identity. I highly recommend Myriam Chancy's "Framing Silence: Revolutionary Novels by Haitian Women" to learn more about the accomplishments of the pre-Duvalier feminists as well as the various ways women novelists have challenged the subordination of women. Her work is the source of the interpretation of Valcin's work shared here, as well as the broader context of the feminist movement.
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