"Awakening the Ashes" of Anti-colonialism

In Awakening the Ashes: An Intellectual History of the Haitian Revolution, Professor Marlene Daut traces the modern understanding of freedom and equality to Haiti. I thought today would be a good time to share a conversation I had with her. Haiti has low-key been in the news of late, with yet another foreign “security mission” arriving. Further, many of the dynamics Haitians fought against are, sadly, on full display on the global stage today.

Professor Daut is a professor of French and African Diaspora Studies at Yale. She writes about the history of the Haitian Revolution, literary cultures of the greater Caribbean, and racial politics in global media. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Nation, Essence Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, and The Conversation, among others.