Language, Power, and Education in Haiti: Analyzing a Complex Crossroads

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 3:35 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Language, Social Capital, and Power in Education (Table 1)

Abstract

The language of instruction in the Haitian educational system has been a matter of contention for decades. After the 2010 earthquake there was renewed hope in rebuilding with a Kreyòl-centric education but change has been elusive. In this paper, informed by a critical post-colonial lens, we examined the relationship between the roles of Kreyòl and French in Haiti and the tensions present as Haitians think about their humanization, justice, and liberation. We analyzed policy documents and the discourse of political and community stakeholders to better understand the stubbornness of French-centrism in schools. We argue that the contest between French and Kreyòl is what we call a pastiche for political struggles over skin color, socioeconomic class, and nationality/national identity.

Authors

• Fabienne Doucet, New York University

• Pamela D'Andrea Martinez, Wellesley College