Haiti to New Orleans: 19th Century Literary Migrations

Former slaves in the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) defeated French colonialism and founded a free republic. Some Creole planters fled to Cuba with former slaves, but were expelled in 1809 and migrated to Lousiana. We will study 19th century enmeshed literatures, cultures, and languages of Haitian-descended and Haitian-influenced cultures in Louisiana, reading literature by Roquigny, Mercier, and Augustin, and studying Creole and Cajun identities, slave insurrections, native american relationships, plantation and urban cultures, 'placage' and libertinage, ritual cultures from voodoo to Jewish New Orleans, music, mardi gras, and healing traditions. Course taught in French.