Michèle ORIOL

"the devolution of political power in Haiti: historical and anthropological inertia"

The history of Haiti is like a piece of woven fabric where only the weft thread can be seen. Beyond the events and disasters which have always grabbed people’s attention, it is an interesting exercise to try and find the warp thread in the meanderings of its history, which offers an alternative interpretation to the attentive observer.

The difficulty for statesmen to establish the legitimacy of their power once they had got away from the rationales of military hierarchy, in other words back in 1843, is obvious. Dynastic research thus underpinned the appointment of heads of State until the establishment of universal suffrage in 1950. Ironically, the model of an absolute leader which is emerging came from the French Revolution with civil commissioners (officials on missions) particularly Sonthonax, in contrast with the balance of colonial powers between the military leader (the governor) and the civil leader (the intendant).

A political class develops over time, and the same is true for forms of exclusion which limit competition. Political classes, like serial killers, have their operating methods. Implicit or explicit ideologies are used to justify the taking and keeping of power: royalists and republicans, nationals and liberals in the 19th century, noiristes and communists in the 20th century. But in every case the question of colour is omnipresent. A 21st century cut off from history sees a political class hiding its objectives without any qualms behind a language that claims to be universal: dictatorship or democracy.

Perhaps slavery and the revolution can provide some solutions to the political class’ inability to create some form of legitimacy by offering a detour via anthropology.