Open Source Archives

We strive to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration and the implementation of progressive and  participatory research methods, with the goal of generating tangible, durable changes in the way research about Haiti is conceptualized, implemented and applied.

ABOUT US

Research Hub & Open Source Archives

EKO HAITI Research Hub is a research and knowledge mobilization platform focused on creative, collaborative and interdisciplinary research and associated research-based learning. We aim to become the intellectual “home” for research about Haiti by creating and providing open access to the largest crowdsourced research archive dedicated to Haiti, by fostering cross-disciplinary research and innovation, and by providing support for progressive research in the form of contextual expertise and training.

“The trees fall from time to time, but the voice of the forest never loses its power. Life begins.”

Jacques Alexis, Les Arbres Musiciens (Paris, 1957)
Haiti-bezienswaardigheden
LITTERATURE
HAITIAN LITTERATURE
Haiti is the birthplace of a rich literary heritage that deserves more attention. Haitian authors open a window into this Caribbean nation’s vibrant culture and tumultuous history.

Haiti-bezienswaardigheden
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
ANTHROPOLOGY
EKO HAITI collections include all works, published and unpublished by Anthropologists Gerald Murray, Glenn Smucker and Timothy Schwartz
Haiti-bezienswaardigheden
PHOTOGRAPHY ARCHIVE
HAITI IN PICTURES
Dedicated to the late great, Kreyolicious (Katheline St. Fort), our photographs archives holds a large collection of images dating back to the late 1800's .
Haiti-bezienswaardigheden
DEVELOPMENT ARCHIVE
DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH
40 years of development reports, evaluations and survey databases many of which are not publicly available, are buried in drawers, closets, private libraries of NGOs and government donors.

ORAL HISTORIES

Oral histories are a powerful tool in developing historical understanding

Oral history offers an alternative to conventional history, filling gaps in traditional research with personal accounts of historically significant events or simply life in a specific place and time. Oral histories do more than provide charming details to dry historical accounts. In fact, oral histories help others recapture lived experiences that are not written down in traditional sources.

> Transcripts archive

" Bwa pi wo di li wè lwen, men grenn pwomennen di li wè pi lwen pase l "

The tallest tree says that it sees far, but the seed that travels says that it sees even further.

GET INVOLVED

Support EKO HAITI

As an independent institute, we rely on crowdsourcing and donations to continue expanding the depth and scope of our archives.  Your contribution enable us to provide open access to a vast collection of ethnographic and research material which in turn aims at fostering further research and contribute to a better understanding of the country.

Haiti is an island rich in history, art, and culture. Yet the island and its people are often perceived negatively because of the country‘s third world status and its devastating political dilemmas. As one writer stated, whenever Haiti is mentioned in the news, the phrase ―the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere usually follows. ―These seven words represent a classic example of something absolutely true and absolutely meaningless at the same time (Danticat, 2001, p. 57). That phrase has exasperated Haitian-Americans because it ignores Haiti‘s many positives such as its arts, its music, and its Afro-Euro-American culture. ―It denies the humanity of Haitians, the capacity to survive, to overcome, even to triumph over this poverty‖ (Danticat, 2001, p. 57). What is more, this negative impression tends to follow all Haitians no matter where they go around the world. Thus, instead of staying focused on the negatives, there is a need to focus more on the achievements and positive contributions that the people originally from this island has produced.

Throughout the years, Haitian-American people have made an incredible impact on society. For example, William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B.) Du Bois, who is of Haitian descent, was an American civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, sociologist, historian, author, and editor. In 1895 he became the first Black person to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University (Lewis, 2008).

There are Haitian-American women who have followed in his footsteps and who made a difference in their lives and the lives of others. For example, Dr. Carole M. Berotte Joseph, who was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, came to the U.S. in 1957 and was the first Haitian-American woman president of Massachusetts Bay Community College (Zephir, 2004). She joined an elite and select group of just 49 African-American women nationwide serving as college and university presidents. African-American women comprise only 1.4% of all college presidents (Zephir, 2004). She earned her Bachelor‘s Degree in Spanish and Education from the York College of the City University of New York, a Master‘s degree in Bilingual Education from Fordham University, and a Ph.D. in Bilingual Education and Sociolinguistics from New York University (Zephir, 2004). She is multilingual and speaks French, Spanish, English, and Haitian Creole (Zephir, 2004).