Marlene L. Daut

“Awakening the Ashes” is a comprehensive intellectual history of Haiti which places Haitian writers and politicians within the global history of ideas. Beginning with Haitian independence in 1804 and ending around the time of World War II, this book provides an in-depth study of key figures of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Haitian intellectual history and a broad analysis of what Haitian political, literary, and historical ideas writ large reveals. This research into the interconnectedness of Haitian intellectuals with their counterparts from around the world highlights the largely unacknowledged role of Haitian thinkers in the development of many of the concepts essential to understanding the modern world system, such as democracy, science, culture, colonialism, and even history itself. Ultimately, the goal of “Awakening the Ashes” is both to emphasize the innovative nature of Haitian thought and to demonstrate its centrality within broader global intellectual currents.