Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic “Denationalization” Program Seeks to Strip Citizenship from Haitian Descendants

October 3, 2013

The recent decision by the Dominican Republic to retroactively revoke the citizenship of an estimated 300,000 Dominicans of Haitian descent raises numerous legal, moral, and humanitarian concerns. This reactionary decision is founded on the combination of a troubling culture of anti-Haitian racism and a downplay of the Dominican Republic's continued demand of migrant labour in its agricultural, construction, and tourist industries.

Burning Questions: The Life and Work of Michel-Rolph Trouillot, 1949–2012

May 31, 2013

Yarimar Bonilla

On July 5, 2012, the world-renowned anthropologist, historian, and writer Michel-Rolph Trouillot passed away in his home in Chicago, after a decade-long struggle to recover from a brain aneurism. He was 62. Trouillot leaves behind a rich body of work striking in its compelling prose, intellectual sophistication, theoretical rigor, and disciplinary innovation.

Life in a Border Town Marred by Tension

August 27, 2012

Jacob Kushner

The part of the border that divides the Dominican Republic from Haiti on the southern coast of the island of Hispaniola is seldom reached by outsiders, and the conflicts that transcend the metal gate between the towns of Pedernales, on the Dominican side, and Anse-à-Pitre, in Haiti, seem reminiscent of the children’s stories of Dr. Seuss that warn against infantile stubbornness and teach the morals of cooperation.

A Twenty-First Century Border: The Ever-expanding U.S. Boundary

August 22, 2012

From the Dominican-Haitian borderlands to Ireland, the United States is internationalizing its boundary policing. In the process, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is creating the 21st century boundary, one that involves enrolling other countries in U.S. enforcement practices.

A Tale of Two Voyages and the Global Color Line

February 19, 2012

A recent tragedy in the waters separating the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico led to dozens of migrant fatalities. In comparison to the intense reporting on the sinking of the luxury cruise ship, Costa Concordia, off of Italy's coast in January, media coverage of the deaths of Dominican migrants was poor at best. The disparity exemplifies who counts and who doesn't in a world of great inequality.

Dominican Republic