Browsing by Subject "Haiti"
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Item Open Access Awareness of Cervical Cancer Causes and Predeterminants of Likelihood to Screen Among Women in Haiti.(Journal of lower genital tract disease, 2017-01) Boggan, J; McCarthy, SH; Walmer, KA; Gichane, MW; Calo, WA; Beauvais, HA; Brewer, NTCervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women in Haiti. Given this high disease burden, we sought to better understand women's knowledge of its causes and the sociodemographic and health correlates of cervical cancer screening.Participants were 410 adult women presenting at clinics in Léogâne and Port-au-Prince, Haiti. We used bivariate and multivariate logic regression to identify correlates of Pap smear receipt.Only 29% of respondents had heard of human papillomavirus (HPV), whereas 98% were aware of cervical cancer. Of those aware of cervical cancer, 12% believed that sexually transmitted infections (STIs) cause it, and only 4% identified HPV infection as the cause. Women with a previous sexually transmitted infection were more likely to have had Pap smear (34% vs 71%, odds ratio = 3.45; 95% CI = 1.57-7.59). Screening was also more likely among women who were older than the age of 39 years, better educated, and employed (all p < .05). Almost all women (97%) were willing to undergo cervical cancer screening.This sample of Haitian women had limited awareness of HPV and cervical cancer causes; but when provided with health information, they saw the benefits of cancer screening. Future initiatives should provide health education messages, with efforts targeting young and at-risk women.Item Open Access Cervical Cancer Detection and Prevention in Haiti: A Comparison of Pap Smear and Liquid-Based Cytology Detection Methods(2015) Wolpert, GenevieveHuman Papillomavirus-induced cervical cancer represents one of the most significant causes of female morbidity and mortality from cancer worldwide. Detecting HPV-related cervical disease during the premalignant treatable stage of development is critical to reduce the burden of this disease. Cervical cytology has been the primary screening tool for cervical dysplasia in the United States for decades. However in Haiti, early attempts to identify cervical dysplasia were thwarted by a high incidence of obscuring inflammation on conventional Pap smears. This study seeks to determine if liquid-based cytology screening can increase the detection of cervical dysplasia over conventional Pap smears when obscuring inflammation is present. The study population was recruited in Haiti and women underwent both types of cervical dysplasia testing; those for whom it was indicated underwent follow-up cervical biopsy. The cervical dysplasia tests were compared to each other using kappa agreement statistics with cervical biopsy as the gold standard for diagnosis. Both tests showed comparable sensitivity for dysplasia with and without inflammation-containing samples. The Pap test showed superior specificity by greater agreement with the gold standard biopsy, though the sample size was small. Interpretation of these results and application to a low-resource setting for implementation of a standardized screening regimen would require a larger sample size and cost/benefit analysis.
Item Open Access Cholera in Haiti and other Caribbean regions, 19th century.(Emerg Infect Dis, 2011-11) Jenson, Deborah; Szabo, Victoria; Duke FHI Haiti Humanities Laboratory Student Research TeamMedical journals and other sources do not show evidence that cholera occurred in Haiti before 2010, despite the devastating effect of this disease in the Caribbean region in the 19th century. Cholera occurred in Cuba in 1833-1834; in Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Nevis, Trinidad, the Bahamas, St. Vincent, Granada, Anguilla, St. John, Tortola, the Turks and Caicos, the Grenadines (Carriacou and Petite Martinique), and possibly Antigua in 1850-1856; and in Guadeloupe, Cuba, St. Thomas, the Dominican Republic, Dominica, Martinique, and Marie Galante in 1865-1872. Conditions associated with slavery and colonial military control were absent in independent Haiti. Clustered populations, regular influx of new persons, and close quarters of barracks living contributed to spread of cholera in other Caribbean locations. We provide historical accounts of the presence and spread of cholera epidemics in Caribbean islands.Item Embargo Converting Spanish Hispaniola: Race, Nation, and the A.M.E. Church in Santo Domingo, 1872-1904(2017) Davidson, Christina DavidsonThis dissertation employs a diasporic framework to study the intersections of race, religion, and nationalism in Dominican society. It argues that in a country where elites have used state power and historiography to define national identity as Catholic, Spanish, and white, Protestant history reveals non-Catholic religious ties between Dominicans, African Americans, Haitians, and West Indians and offers a counter framework for understanding the Dominican Republic within the African Diaspora. Using church records, newspapers, and court cases, it examines the biographies of Afro-descended religious leaders, tracing their movements throughout the Caribbean and the United States at the end of the nineteenth century. It reveals how African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans imagined themselves, interacted with each other, and articulated various racial, religious, and political identities. Ultimately, this dissertation demonstrates that black Protestants’ religious beliefs provided an ideological basis for Afro-diasporic endeavors such as A.M.E. missions in the Caribbean. Despite these ties, anti-American sentiment in the Dominican Republic, poverty among black migrants, and public scandal limited the growth of black Protestantism in the Dominican Republic. These factors resulted in the social marginalization of the diasporic black church.
Item Open Access Critical Analysis of the Efficacy of Task-Shifting in Two Post-Earthquake Humanitarian Crisis Sites: Haiti and Nepal(2016-05-07) Gault, ElleThis thesis is an in-depth analysis into the efficacy of task-shifting models in post-earthquake settings. Using Haiti and Nepal as case-studies, the paper investigates the necessary infrastructure and policy strategies that must be in place to provide successful post-earthquake mental health interventions.Item Open Access Evaluating the Feasibility of Self-sampling using CareHPV™ and Treatment with Cryotherapy in Haiti(2018) Vaez, AlliaIntroduction: Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of death for women in Haiti. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of HPV self-sampling using CareHPV™ and subsequent treatment with cryotherapy in urban and rural areas of Haiti. CareHPV™ is a vaginal self-sample HPV testing kit used to detect 14 types of high-risk HPV and cryotherapy is a form of treatment that freezes precancerous lesions with CO2 or nitrous oxide. Methods: The study took place in Port-au-Prince and three rural communities within the suburban commune of Leogane. Screening took place at clinics, community centers, and churches. Participants were given consent forms to sign, as well as a demographic questionnaire and an acceptability survey. If their HPV test result was positive, they were called up to three times to go the community clinic for treatment. The number of women that returned for treatment following a positive HPV test result were compared in the urban and rural communities with a chi square test of association and a prevalence rate ratio. Acceptability was measured quantitatively on the Likert Scale. Results: Feasibility was defined as 80% acceptability and 80% treatment uptake. Other factors related to feasibility such as screening numbers and geographical barriers were discussed. Eighty percent acceptability was reached in both rural and urban communities. Eighty percent treatment uptake was only reached in the rural communities, with a treatment uptake of 83.3%. Eighty percent treatment uptake was not reached in the urban communities, with a treatment uptake of 42.1%. The prevalence rate ratio of 1.98 indicates that rural participants were found to be nearly twice as likely to return for treatment than urban participants. The chi square test of association shows that this difference in treatment uptake is significant with an estimated p-value of 0.01 at an alpha of 0.05. Further research is needed to investigate the reasons for higher loss to follow-up for treatment in urban communities to further efforts to establish a national HPV screening program in Haiti.
Item Open Access Evaluation of a field appropriate membrane filtration method for the detection of Vibrio cholerae for the measurement of biosand filter performance in the Artibonite Valley, Haiti.(Environ Monit Assess, 2015-08) Thomson, Ashley A; Gunsch, Claudia KBiosand filters in the Artibonite Valley of Haiti, the epicenter of the cholera epidemic that began in October 2010, were tested for total coliform and Vibrio cholerae removal efficiencies. While coliform are often used as an indicator organism for pathogenic bacteria, a correlation has never been established linking the concentration of coliform and V. cholerae, the causative agent for cholera. Hence, a method for field enumeration of V. cholerae was developed and tested. To this end, a plate count test utilizing membrane filtration technique was developed to measure viable V. cholerae cell concentration in the field. Method accuracy was confirmed by comparing plate count concentrations to microscopic counts. Additionally, biosand filters were sampled and removal efficiencies of V. cholerae and coliform bacteria compared. The correlation between removal efficiency and time in operation, biofilm ("schmutzdecke") composition, and idle time was also investigated. The plate count method for V. cholerae was found to accurately reflect microscope counts and was shown to be effective in the field. Overall, coliform concentration was not an appropriate indicator of V. cholerae concentration. In 90% of the influent samples from the study, coliform underestimated V. cholerae concentration (n = 26). Furthermore, coliform removal efficiency was higher than for V. cholerae hence providing a conservative measurement. Finally, time in operation and idle time were found to be important parameters controlling performance. Overall, this method shows promise for field applications and should be expanded to additional studies to confirm its efficacy to test for V. cholerae in various source waters.Item Open Access Evaluation of an Eight-week Yoga Program for Children Living in Orphanages in Haiti: A Preliminary Study of Child Mental Health(2014) Culver, KathrynObjective: Posttraumatic stress due to trauma exposure in childhood disconnects the mind and body, producing a chronic state of anxiety and ill health that worsens into adulthood. In order to mitigate the harmful effects of trauma experienced by children living in low-resource settings worldwide, evidence-based research on the effect of feasible mind-body interventions to reduce trauma-related symptoms among this vulnerable population is needed. The complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practice of yoga holds promise as a mind-body approach to child mental and physical wellbeing. The purpose of this preliminary study was to evaluate the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of an 8-week yoga intervention to reduce trauma-related symptoms and emotional and behavioral difficulties among children living in orphanages in Haiti.
Methods: The study design is a case-control study with random assignment to yoga or aerobic dance plus a non-randomized wait-list control group. The UCLA PTSD Reaction Index and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire measured trauma-related symptoms and emotional and behavioral difficulties, respectively. A supplementary questionnaire evaluated participants' experience in the yoga program.
Results: Our main findings include that participation in either 8-weeks of yoga or aerobic dance classes predicted a reduction in trauma-related symptoms and emotional and behavioral difficulties, though not statistically significant (p > .05). The average yoga class attendance was 14.65 (SD = 2.17) out of 16 classes. Ninety-two percent of respondents (N = 26) reported being satisfied with the yoga program and all reported positive changes in wellbeing.
Conclusion: Although the reductions in trauma-related symptoms and emotional and behavioral difficulties among children in the yoga and aerobic dance groups were not statistically significant, positive feedback suggests that yoga is a feasible, acceptable, and enjoyable activity with benefits to child mental and physical health. Further research is needed to evaluate the effect of yoga to relieve trauma-related mental illness among Haitian youth and to promote sustained health into adulthood. Yoga programs designed to improve health and resilience to stress are essential social justice approaches for investing in the wellbeing of our global youth and creating peace within the community at large.
Item Unknown Factors Associated with Birth Spacing and Contraceptive Use in Leogane, Haiti(2012) Chakhtoura, NahidaAbstractAbstractAbstractAbstract Abstract
Spacing the inter-pregnancy interval to more than two years reduces maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Modern contraceptive use can reduce maternal morbidity and mortality by contributing to birth spacing and reducing the total fertility rate. This study is designed to understand the factors associated with appropriate birth spacing and the barriers to modern contraceptive use in Leogane, Haiti. A cross sectional survey of 552 reproductive age women in Leogane proper was performed from June to July of 2011. Univariate, multivariate, and logisitic regressions were used to analyze the data. The results demonstrate the importance of education, employment status, contraceptive use and stable relationships in influencing appropriate birth spacing. Women who spaced their births tended to have less complications compared to women who did not, however this difference was not statistically significant. Barriers to contraceptive use were cultural factors such as religion, and low socioeconomic status. However, contraceptive use was positively influenced by education and partner acceptance of contraceptives. These findings indicate that family programs focused on educating women and their partners on the benefits of contraception and birth spacing would be successful in Leogane, Haiti.
Item Unknown Human Papillomavirus Awareness in Haiti: Preparing for a National HPV Vaccination Program.(J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol, 2017-02) Boggan, J; Gichane, MW; Calo, WM; McCarthy, SH; Walmer, KA; Brewer, NTSTUDY OBJECTIVE: Cervical cancer morbidity and mortality are pressing public health issues that affect women in Haiti. To inform efforts to develop a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program in Haiti, we sought to understand HPV awareness and willingness to get HPV vaccination in Haiti. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We interviewed a convenience sample of 475 women and men in 2 clinical settings in Port-au-Prince and Léogâne, Haiti between April and July 2014. INTERVENTIONS AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: HPV awareness and willingness to get HPV vaccine for daughters. RESULTS: Few participants (27%, 130/475) had heard of HPV. Awareness of HPV was higher among respondents with a previous sexually transmitted infection compared with those without a previous sexually transmitted infection (odds ratio, 2.38; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-5.13). Adults who had heard of genital warts were also more likely to be aware of HPV compared with those who had not (odds ratio, 4.37; 95% confidence interval, 2.59-7.38). Only 10% (24/250) of parents had previously heard of HPV vaccine; however, after researchers explained the purpose of the vaccine, nearly all (96%, 240/250) said they would be willing to get HPV vaccine for their daughters if it were available. CONCLUSION: Despite low awareness of HPV in Haiti, interest in HPV vaccination was nearly universal in our study of health care-seeking adults. This high acceptability suggests that HPV vaccination programs instituted in Haiti would be well received.Item Unknown Patterns of HIV Serostatus Disclosure Among HIV-Positive Young Adults in Haiti: a Mixed Methods Investigation(2014) Philogene, JohaneBackground: By facilitating access to prevention and care services, HIV serostatus disclosure has been associated with improved physical health, psychological well-being, and improved health behaviors for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Disclosure to sexual partners, in particular, can help prevent the forward transmission of HIV. Disclosure can increase social support but can also lead to negative social outcomes including stigma and discrimination. Thus, disclosing HIV status to friends, family, and sexual partners is a complex psychosocial challenge that PLWHA face, particularly adolescents and youth who have an increased lifespan due to current effective treatment protocols.
Objectives: This study had three objectives: 1) to determine gender-related differences in the rate and patterns of HIV serostatus disclosure to family, friends and sexual partners among HIV-positive youth in Haiti; 2) to identify gender-specific relational and psychosocial predictors of HIV disclosure to sexual partner; and 3) to qualitatively explore and describe motivations and experiences related to HIV disclosure in this population.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a random sample of 680 sexually active HIV-positive young adults (18-29 years) from six clinics in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Socio-demographic, health, sexual and reproductive history, sexual behavior, psychosocial and disclosure data were collected using a pre-tested interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. Rates and patterns of HIV serostatus were described, and factors associated with disclosure to all sexual partners in the past 3 months were analyzed using hierarchical logistic regression models, separately by gender. Qualitative data was collected through individual in-depth interviews with a purposefully selected sample of 12 young adult participants to explore whom they chose to disclose to, how they disclosed to these individuals, and how these individuals reacted. Content analysis allowed for the description of motivations and experiences related to HIV disclosure in this population.
Results: Slightly over half (56%) of participants had told at least one person about their HIV status. Female respondents were more likely than male respondents to have disclosed to family or friends. Male youth were more likely to disclose their status for the first time to sexual partners (35%), while female youth were more likely to choose their mother as their first confidant (51%). Overall, 33% of participants reported having disclosed their HIV status to all their sexual partners from the last 3 months, with no significant difference across genders. For both genders, older age and being unaware of partners' HIV status were significantly associated with lower odds of HIV serostatus disclosure. Additionally for young males, disclosure stigma was negatively associated with disclosure while HIV acceptance and personalized stigma were significant predictors of disclosure. Female youth who were single, had casual or multiple partners, and experienced greater personalized stigma were less likely to disclose, whereas the availability of social support was positively associated with disclosure to all sexual partners. While disclosure to sexual partners was motivated primarily by a desire to encourage partners to test for HIV and increase condom use, or by a sense of moral responsibility, important contextual differences emerged in qualitative analysis with regards to barriers to disclosure, particularly fear of stigma and fear of partner's reaction.
Conclusion: Rates of HIV serostatus disclosure to family, friends and sexual partners were low among this population of HIV-positive youth in Port-au-Prince. Context-specific gender-sensitive interventions are needed to increase social support, reduce HIV-related stigma, and assist youth living with HIV in making effective decisions on disclosure that will ultimately improve their well-being and quality of life. Further research is necessary to better understand the process and outcomes of HIV serostatus disclosure to sexual partners, as well as the relationship between HIV serostatus disclosure and sexual risk behaviors in this young HIV-positive population.
Item Unknown Pitit se rìches malere [Children are the wealth of the poor]: The Influence of Gender and Power on Choice and Uptake of Long Acting Contraceptives(2016) Jadue Gonzalez, Nicole CeciliaBackground: Haiti has the highest maternal mortality rate in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Despite the fact that Haiti has received twice as much family planning assistance as any other country in the western hemisphere, the unmet need for contraception remains particularly high. Our hypothesis is that unsuccessful efforts of family planning programs may be related to a misconstrued understanding of the complex role of gender in relationships and community in Haiti. This manuscript is one of four parts of a study that intends to examine some of these issues with a particular focus on the influence of uptake and adherence to long acting contraceptive (LAC) methods.
Methods: We conducted a three-month community-based qualitative assessment through 20 in-depth interviews in Fondwa, Haiti. Participants were divided into 4 groups of five: female users, female non-users, men and key community stakeholders.
Results: Based on the qualitative interviews, we found that main barriers included lack of access to family planning education and services and concerns regarding side effects and health risks, especially related to menstrual disruption and fears of infertility. Women have a constant pressure to remain fertile and bear children, due not only to social but also economic needs. As relationships are conceived as means for economic provision, the likelihood of uptake of irreversible methods (vasectomy and tubal ligation) was restricted by loss of fertility. Consequently, the discourse of family planning, though self-recognized in their favor, assumes women can afford not to bear children. This assumption should be questioned given the complexities of the other social determinants at play, all which affect the reproductive decisions made by Haitians.
Conclusions: Overall, our study indicated awareness surrounding contraception in the Haitian Fondwa community. Combining the substantial impact of birth spacing with the elevated yet unmet need for contraceptives in the area, it is necessary to address the intricacies of gender issues in order to implement successful programing. In Haiti not being able to bear a child poses a threat to economic and social survival, possibly explaining a dimension of the low uptake of LACs in the region, even when made available. For this reason, we believe IUDs (Intrauterine Devices) provide a suitable alternative, allowing the couple to comprehend all of the factors involved in decision making, thus decreasing the imbalances of power and knowledge prior to considering an irreversible alternative.
Item Unknown Preliminary notes on a newly discovered skull of the extinct monkey Antillothrix from Hispaniola and the origin of the Greater Antillean monkeys.(J Hum Evol, 2011-01) Kay, RF; Hunt, KD; Beeker, CD; Conrad, GW; Johnson, CC; Keller, JItem Open Access Prevalence and Genotype Distribution of Human Papillomavirus in Women with Cervical Histopathology in Haiti(2010) Ndirangu, Jacqueline WanjikuThe development of HPV vaccines has generated a great deal of hope that the burden of cervical cancer may be eliminated over the next several decades. However, this enthusiasm may be premature if the genotypes associated with high-grade cervical dysplasia and cancer in other countries does not match the select HPV genotypes that were targeted by current vaccines. The objective of this study was to document the profile of high-risk HPV genotypes that are associated with moderate and high-grade dysplasia in a subset of women living in Port-au-Prince and Leogane, Haiti. Preliminary data collected around the world and by Family Health Ministries in Haiti suggest that the high-grade disease seen in many communities may have a different spectrum than the US and Europe. The cross-sectional study was conducted in two medical clinics situated in the cities of Port-au-Prince and Leogane, Haiti. Genotype-specific distribution from cervical samples collected from 269 women was correlated with corresponding cytopathology results. Genotypes associated with HSIL or invasive cancer were HPV-16 (POR 6.8; 95% CI 2.62-17.86), HPV-18 (POR 4.3; 95% CI 1.46-12.40), HPV-35 (POR 4.3; 95% CI 1.63-11.33), and HPV-58 (POR 7.9; 95% CI 1.95-32.00). HPV-58 appeared to have a higher oncogenic potential than HPV-16 and HPV-18. There was a difference in the HPV genotypic profile found in cervical disease in this Haitian population compared to the United States and Europe. It may be less cost-effective to introduce existing HPV prophylactic vaccines to Haiti; resources may be better spent treating existing disease until more appropriate vaccines are developed.
Item Open Access "So many schemes in agitation": The Haitian State and the Atlantic World(2012) Gaffield, JuliaThis dissertation examines Haiti's crucial role in the re-making of the Atlantic World in the early 19th century. The point of departure for this work is Haiti's Declaration of Independence in 1804 and my research explores how events in Haiti raised profound questions about revolutionary legitimacy and national sovereignty. The emergence of Haiti as an independent nation fueled unprecedented international debates about racial hierarchy, the connections between freedom and sovereignty, and the intertwining of ideological and political relationships among nations and empires. While these debates came to be resolved in part during the next two centuries, they remain alive today both for specific nations and for the international community.
Item Open Access The City and the State: Construction and the Politics of Dictatorship in Haiti (1957-1986)(2018) Payton, Claire A“The City and the State: Construction and the Politics of Dictatorship in Haiti (1957-1986)” charts a new history of place-making in the Caribbean. It analyzes construction practices in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince—ranging from slum clearance, transportation infrastructure, to the political economy of cement—to reveal the multifaceted relationship between the Duvalier dictatorship and rapid urban transformation in the mid-20th century. It argues that through the patterns and practices of building Port-au-Prince, the social, political and economic dimensions of the Duvalier regime became embedded in material space of the city. At the same time, the nature of these spatial and material changes informed the regime’s tumultuous internal dynamics. This thesis also situates these intertwined themes within a broader context of uneven geographies of power produced through the country’s long transition from slavery to freedom.
Item Open Access The Detainment and Quarantine of HIV+ Haitians at Guantanamo Bay: A Biosecurity Case Study(2023-08) Dion, HaleyThis thesis investigates the relationship between Haitians, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and the US government at the site of Guantanamo Bay. Through an exploration of this relationship, I utilize the concept of biosecurity to analyze the actions of the US government in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. I assert the need to evaluate the mechanisms and products of the government-sponsored biosecurity intervention at Guantanamo Bay within this framework. With a lens of xenophobia and racism, I highlight the differential treatment and human rights violations of Haitians with the US government’s perception of them as contagion-filled bodies. Utilizing archival sources, I outline the sequence of events that led to the Haitian refugee detainment at Guantanamo Bay and detail the implementation of quarantine and its consequences for the health of HIV+ Haitians. I connect US law and public health policy to analyze the ethics of the detainment and quarantine of Haitian refugees. I argue that the government-sponsored intervention at Guantanamo Bay served as a site for the implementation of biosecurity protocols in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. These procedures and their outcomes invoke future implications for the regulation of and response to emerging epidemics around the world that are essential to consider in the management of global health.Item Open Access The divergent paths of post-quake Nepal and Haiti – The Hierarchical System for Emergency Mitigation as a determinant for emergency humanitarian aid coordination(2018-03-26) Keefe, CarolineNatural disasters have always been extremely disruptive events, destroying thousands of lives and homes without warning, killing hundreds, and threatening to plunge into disarray entire societies unprepared to deal with the disaster. Since the early 2000s, scholars have been creating several models that have been determined to be appropriate systems of preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters, particularly natural disasters. One of the most well-known models is the Hierarchical System for Emergency Mitigation, or the HSEM model. It is considered one of the most adaptable and logical models for disaster management. Using the HSEM model, this paper will compare the preparation for, response to, and recovery from the earthquake in Haiti of 2010 with the earthquake in Nepal of 2015, focusing on the efforts of the Red Cross and USAID.Item Open Access The Hidden Epidemic: Violence against Women in Haiti(2011-05-04) Kang, Ju YonSince the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, violence against women has frequently appeared in the media as one of the gravest consequences due to insecure living situations in settlement camps. This, however, is not newly arisen issue and has been occurring in the country at relatively high rates prior to the disaster. Violence against women presents an unconventional portrait in Haiti, meaning the characteristics of the situation run counter to the usual circumstance of violence in which the poorest and least educated form the majority of victims. This stems from Haiti’s climate of insecurity, which is composed of economic, social and political instabilities and imposes extremely challenging living conditions on its population. The climate of insecurity produces two social mechanisms—the crisis of masculinity and the feminization of insecurity—that make women vulnerable to violence, especially sexual assault. Gender-based violence in turn leads to traumatic consequences that perpetuate the climate of insecurity by engendering an environment of fear on the part of the victim. Thus, the violence against women and the climate of insecurity in Haiti are in a cyclical relationship in which one drives the other.Item Open Access The Kongolese Atlantic: Central African Slavery & Culture from Mayombe to Haiti(2015) Mobley, Christina FrancesIn my dissertation, "The Kongolese Atlantic: Central African Slavery & Culture from Mayombe to Haiti," I investigate the cultural history of West Central African slavery at the height of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the late eighteenth century. My research focuses on the Loango Coast, a region that has received little scholarly attention despite the fact that it was responsible for roughly half of slave exports from West Central Africa at the time. The goal of my dissertation is to understand how enslaved Kongolese men and women used cultural practices to mediate the experience of slavery on both sides of the Atlantic world. To do so, I follow captives from their point of origin in West Central Africa to the Loango Coast and finally to the French colony of Saint Domingue in order to examine these areas as part of a larger "Kongolese Atlantic" world.
My dissertation begins by exploring the social and political history of the slave trade in the Loango Coast kingdoms, charting the structural changes that took place as a result of Atlantic trade. Next, I use historical linguistics to investigate the origins of captives sold on the Loango Coast. I find that the majority of captives came broadly from the Kongo zone, specifically from the Mayombe rainforest and Loango Coast kingdoms north of the River Congo. I then use a sociolinguistic methodology to reconstruct the cultural history of those groups in the near-absence of written documents. In the last chapter of the dissertation, I follow enslaved Central Africans from the Loango Coast to Saint Domingue, examining how they used specific and identifiable north coast cultural practices in the context of slavery. I find enslaved Central Africans used north coast spiritual tools such as divination, possession, trance, and power objects to address the material problems of plantation life. Finally, I argue the persistence of these spiritual practices demonstrates a remarkable durability of Kongolese ontology on both sides of the Kongolese Atlantic world.
My research produces new information about the history of the Loango Coast as well as the colony of Saint Domingue. The north coast origin of captives which I establish using historical linguistics contradicts earlier arguments that slaves traded on the Loango Coast originated from Kingdom of Kongo or from the inland Malebo Pool or Upper River Congo trade. I show inhabitants of the coastal kingdoms and Mayombe rainforest were not mere middlemen in the interior slave trade as previously thought, but were the victims of new mechanisms of enslavement created as a result of the erosion of traditional political institutions due to the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The north coast origin of Loango Coast captives has repercussions for the cultural history of the Americas. It means that captives were not "Atlantic Creoles" with prior knowledge of European culture and religion. I argue historians can only understand the meaning of the cultural practices of Africans in the Americas by understanding where Africans came from and what cultural and linguistic tools they brought with them. The use and transmission of Kongolese ritual knowledge and spiritual technologies in Saint Domingue challenges historians of slavery to move beyond the false dichotomy that culture originated in either Africa or on the plantation and forces a fundamental reassessment of the concept of creolization.