Diasporic citizenship : Haitian Americans in transnational America

This book briefly delineates the history of the Haitian diaspora in the United States in the nineteenth century, but it primarily concerns itself with the contemporary period and more specifically with the diasporic enclave in New York City. It uses a critical transnational perspective to convey the adaptation of the immigrants in American society and the border-crossing practices they engage in as they maintain their relations with the homeland. It further reproblematizes and reconceptualizes the notion of diasporic citizenship so as to take stock of the newer facets of the globalization process.

This book delineates the history of the Haitian diaspora in the United States in the nineteenth century, but it primarily concerns itself with the contemporary period and more specifically with the diasporic enclave in New York City. It uses a critical transnational perspective to convey the adaptation of the immigrants in American society and the border-crossing practices they engage in as they maintain their relations with the homeland. Throughout the book, Michel S. Laguerre argues that the nation-state that has until now constituted the niche where citizenship was defined, contextualized, and played out, has seen its boundaries open wide, and has become increasingly impotent in the presence of a series of transnational practices undertaken by its resident population. The book reproblematizes and reconceptualizes the notion of diasporic citizenship so as to take stock of the newer facets of the globalization process.

This book delineates the history of the Haitian diaspora in the United States in the nineteenth century, but it primarily concerns itself with the contemporary period and more specifically with the diasporic enclave in New York City. It uses a critical transnational perspective to convey the adaptation of the immigrants in American society and the border-crossing practices they engage in as they maintain their relations with the homeland. Throughout the book, Michel S. Laguerre argues that the nation-state that has until now constituted the niche where citizenship was defined, contextualized, and played out, has seen its boundaries open wide, and has become increasingly impotent in the presence of a series of transnational practices undertaken by its resident population. The book reproblematizes and reconceptualizes the notion of diasporic citizenship so as to take stock of the newer facets of the globalization process.
Front Matter....Pages i-viii Introduction....Pages 1-19 Transnational Haiti....Pages 21-30 Of Convents, Congressmen and Plessy v. Ferguson....Pages 31-74 Refugees and Immigrants....Pages 75-93 Headquarters and Subsidiary Households....Pages 94-111 Diasporic Business....Pages 112-128 Community Media: Newspaper, Radio and Television....Pages 129-141 Schooling....Pages 142-156 Diasporic Politics: Border-Crossing Political Practices....Pages 157-175 Conclusion: Diasporic Citizenship....Pages 176-195 Back Matter....Pages 196-222 "Michel Laguerre briefly delineates the history of the Haitian diaspora in the United States in the nineteenth century, but this book primarily concerns itself with the contemporary period, and more specifically with the diasporic enclave in New York City. It uses a critical transnational perspective to convey the adaptation of immigrants in American society and the border-crossing practices they engage in as they maintain their relations with the homeland."--Jacket.