Archaeology to Deepen the Multi-Layered Landscapes of Haiti With Joseph Sony Jean (Leiden University, Archaeology)

This presentation is part of a virtual series of lectures on archeology and heritage from Northwestern University’s Latin American & Caribbean Studies department and Evanston Public Library.

Previous studies have demonstrated Haiti’s significant role in shaping the modern world, with a particular focus on written colonial archives. However, more attention needs to be paid to the cultural characteristics of Indigenous and colonial landscapes and the transformations of Indigenous landscapes following the Spanish and French invasions. This presentation aims to address these knowledge gaps by focusing on Haiti’s multi-layered landscapes and the archaeological features that can provide new perspectives on Haitian history. The study presents new data, primarily based on archaeological surveys and ethnographic research conducted in Haiti. Jean gathered individuals’ narratives about places and observed people’s relationships with sites. He explores not only the archaeology of Haiti, but how contemporary practices and narratives related to places are embedded in the process of reimagination and representation.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Joseph Sony Jean is a Haitian archaeologist. He holds a PhD in archaeology from Leiden University in the context of Nexus1492 project. He was also part of the Nexus1492 and CaribTRAILS projects. He is a postdoctoral researcher at KITLV (Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies, Leiden) and working on his NWO-Veni research grant project: Place(s) to not forget . He leads the annual course “Patrimoine Archéologique” for the Master Program Histoire, Memoire et Patrimoine at the Université d’Etat d’Haiti. Since 2014, he is working in northern Haiti. His archaeological research focuses on the long-term landscape transformation of Haiti, combining ethnographic, historical, oral history and ethnohistoric sources. He is also interested in critical heritage studies, particularly the politics of heritage and the relationships between contemporary societies and heritage.