Haiti

A revolution of historical dimensions led to the independence of Haiti in 1804. One unanticipated outcome was the quarantine of this anomalous new nation by Europe and North America. Isolation led inevitably to involution, to the exploitation of Haitians by Haitians, and to cycles of despotic rule which, in part, explain Haiti's unenviable present condition as one of the least developed nations of the Western Hemisphere. Frantz Pratt's indexed bibliography is a welcome addition to the scholarship on Haiti. Dedicated to the systematic compilation of periodical articles in English, it contains more than 5,000 citations, arranged in chronological order by subject, and grouped within nine categories. It is a boon to those concerned with and interested in the specifics of Haitian life, as it covers practically all aspects of that existence from 1800 through 1990. Designed to serve as a reference guide to the ever increasing periodical literature available in English about Haiti, this bibliography will benefit libraries, institutions, scholars, students of Haitian studies, policy makers, and the general reader interested in Haiti.