bibliothèque insulaire

DESCRIPTION : Haitian boat people have been in the news since the early 1980s, and are part of a much longer migration history between the world's first black republic and the United States. The vast majority of Haitians are desperately poor rural residents ; Haitian Americans, on the other hand, are concentrated along the urbanized Atlantic seaboard and are not ensnared in poverty. Haitians : migration and diaspora uses U.S. census and Haitian interview data, coupled with a broader analysis of Haitian rural conditions and the effects of foreign and domestic policy on their movement, to underscore the need for a comprehensive rural strategy for economic development in Haiti. Such a strategy, Catanese argues, is vital for improving the lives of Haitians and removing the impulse for leaving their preferred rural domiciles.

The book begins in the early 1980s, after almost twenty-five years of Duvalierism, when rural Haitian were beset by several important migration and refugee issues : pig extermination and repopulation, deforestation and reforestation, and the 1990s embargo by the U.S. and its allies. After examining how Haitians responded to and were affected by these centrally important issues, the author proposes an array of ways to make rural Haiti livable for its people. Finally, the issue of Haitian Americans is addressed.

CONTENTS

Preface 1. Introduction 2. Duvalierism and Haiti's Vast Majority Specific Context: Rural Haiti and Pig Repopulation Data Collection Poverty Ratings An Inductive Outcome Implications and Usefulness of the Sequential Criteria 3. Deforestation and Haitian Poverty General Historical Background The Historical Roots of Poverty and Environmental Degradation Haiti's Current Condition: Poverty and Deforestation Summary of the Relationship Between Poverty and Deforestation 4. Misguided Reforestation: Focusing on Poor Haitians Haiti's Characteristics Experience with Reforestation Viability of Reforestation Conclusions and Recommendations 5. Haitian Refugees Environmental Refugees: The General Literature Applied to Haiti A Representative Haitian's Perspective Environmental Degradation: Deforestation in Haiti Migrations Environmental and Other Refugees 6. The International Embargo of the 1990s The Embargo The Embargo Literature Further Evidence and Conclusion 7. Making Haiti Livable for Its People Focus on Rural Poverty Real Per Capita Income Targeting the Poor Strengthening Agriculture Deforestation and Reforestation Land Ownership Reverse Migration and Emigration Role of Markets Short-Run Reliance on Foreign Aid Support from NGOs Roles of Government Lessons from Small Island Nation States The Future 8. Haitian Americans U.S. Census Data A General Profile Demographic Changes by Wave of Immigrants A Summary Snapshot of the Changes 9. Transnational Linkages: Haitian Americans and Haitians Transnationals Remittances Remittances to Haiti Epilogue: The Future Selected Bibliography