Haitian Creole, A Perpetual Victory on Coloniality: A triple chasm and a common denominator

Abstract

This article examines Haitian history and identity through the lens of Haitian Creole as both a cultural creation and a victory against coloniality. Jean Casimir argues that Haiti cannot be understood solely through frameworks imposed by European colonial states, but rather through the fractures and continuities that have shaped the nation since its revolutionary origins. Three ruptures are central: the divide between state institutions and colonial structures, the separation of coastal elites from rural “outside people,” and tensions among leaders of varied social and educational backgrounds. These fractures did not create rigid hierarchies but revealed tensions within a society bound by collective pride in autonomy and resistance.