[Scholar Legacy Series - Ep. #35] "Haiti's Predatory Republic: The Unending Transition to Democracy." Conversations w/ Prof. Robert Fatton

DESCRIPTION

In this 3 part chat with Dr. Fatton, you won't hear me asking questions. Fatton is the kind of guest that you just hand him the mic and let him do his thang. It's a master class in polisci 101. Grab pen & pencil. Fatton drops some key terms we all should know and internalize.

The collapse of the Duvalier dictatorship in 1986 gave rise to optimism among Haitians in all walks of life—to hopes for a democratic journey leading to economic development, political renewal, and social peace. The reality of the subsequent years, however, has not been so sanguine. Robert Fatton analyzes the vicissitudes of politics in Haiti from the demise of Duvalier through the events of 2001.

Despite a relatively stable period since Jean Bertrand-Aristide assumed the Haitian presidency for the second time, in 1994, Fatton reveals a country in which the imperfect trappings of liberal democracy coexist with violent struggles to monopolize the few sites of public power with any access to wealth and privilege. Haiti's Predatory Republic, while recognizing the possibilities of a happier future, tells a somber story of an apparently endless transition to democracy.

Terms /Concepts Discussed
--Peaks & Valleys
--La Politique de Doublure
--Tout Moun se Moun
--Dechoukaj
--La Politique du Ventre
--Duvalierism

BOOK CONTENTS

• Introduction.
• Class, State, and Civil Society in Haiti.
• The Fall of Duvalier and the Contradictions of Democratization.
• The Rise, Fall, and Second Coming of Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
• The Vicissitudes of Lavalasian Power.
• The Antagonistic Present and Future Alternatives.
• Toward a Compromise?
• Conclusion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert Fatton Jr. is professor in the Department of Government and Foreign Affairs at the University of Virginia. His numerous publications include Predatory Rule: State and Civil Society in Africa and The Making of a Liberal Democracy: Senegal's Passive Revolution.

Visit his guest page

https://neg.fm/dr-robert-fatton-jr/