Vers Une Problematique De L'Alterite Dans La Constuction De L'Identite Haitienne: Etude De Romans Choisis De Jean Metellus et De Marie Vieux Chauvet

The Other, be s/he French, English, or American, has always played a significant role in Haiti's history and literature, and always been present as a recurrent theme in Haitian literature. Many studies have analyzed therelationships between Haiti, France and the United States, focusing on the economic and/or political impact of these countries on Haiti, or on their perceptions of Haiti. In general, their role in the construction of Haitian identity has been viewed as negative.The purpose of this work is to demonstrate the contrary, to show that the French and Americans have had a positive contribution in the construction of Haitian cultural identity. In order to prove this theory, I study the works of two Haitian authors, Jean Metellus and Marie Vieux Chauvet. I have chosen these authors primarily because their works illustrate perfectly the question of otherness, with a pronounced interest in the contribution of the French and the American in the making of their identity.I start by examining the evolution of the historical relationship between Haiti and these two countries to determine the nature of their impact on Haitian identity. I then adopt a sociosemiotic approach to study selected novels by Jean Metellus and Marie V. Chauvet. I conclude by demonstrating, from a culturalperspective, the positive impact of France and the United States on Haitian identity. The basic element of this impact lies in my belief that these two countries contributed to raise Haitian consciousness and thus led Haitians to realize that they, not the French or the Americans, are responsible for shaping their own identity in spite of extraneous political and socio-economic pressures.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

French and Italian

Grantor dc:publisher

The Ohio State University

Year dc:date

1999

Author dc:creator

• Wainwright, Danielle

Contributors dc:contributor

• Conteh-Morgan, John
• Racevskis, Karlis

• Romance Literature
• Foreign Language

Statement dc:rights

• unrestricted
• This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.

Language dc:language

French

Repository record dc:identifier

http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1363856587

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:etd.ohiolink.edu:osu1363856587