Democratic Insecurities: Violence, Trauma, and Intervention in Haiti
Erica James
(Author)
Description
Democratic Insecurities focuses on the ethics of military and humanitarian intervention in Haiti during and after Haiti's 1991 coup. In this remarkable ethnography of violence, Erica Caple James explores the traumas of Haitian victims whose experiences were denied by U.S. officials and recognized only selectively by other humanitarian providers. Using vivid first-person accounts from women survivors, James raises important new questions about humanitarian aid, structural violence, and political insecurity. She discusses the politics of postconflict assistance to Haiti and the challenges of promoting democracy, human rights, and justice in societies that experience chronic insecurity. Similarly, she finds that efforts to promote political development and psychosocial rehabilitation may fail because of competition, strife, and corruption among the individuals and institutions that implement such initiatives.Product Details
Price
$35.94
Publisher
University of California Press
Publish Date
May 14, 2010
Pages
357
Dimensions
5.8 X 0.9 X 8.9 inches | 1.15 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9780520260542
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About the Author
Erica Caple James is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Reviews
"Highly detailed... James addresses an impressive... range of social theory... and carefully weaves these concepts together... James provides a compelling, sympathetically written, complex and nuanced account."--Adia Benton "Cahiers d'Γtudes Africaines "
"Highly recommended. . . by highlighting the vivi first-person accounts of female survivors, the author raises important questions about humanitarian aid, structural violence, and political insecurity, while simultaneously outlining some of the ethical quandaries arising from the uses and abuses of power."-- (05/04/2011)
"Her account is both brave and unsettling. . . . Not only instructive for anthropologists . . . but also for humanitarian aid providers who momentarily work or are planning to work in Haiti."-- (05/22/2011)
"[This] is one of the most important books on the country published in years. . . . It radiates intelligence and understanding."-- (09/14/2011)
"Highly recommended. . . by highlighting the vivi first-person accounts of female survivors, the author raises important questions about humanitarian aid, structural violence, and political insecurity, while simultaneously outlining some of the ethical quandaries arising from the uses and abuses of power."-- (05/04/2011)
"Her account is both brave and unsettling. . . . Not only instructive for anthropologists . . . but also for humanitarian aid providers who momentarily work or are planning to work in Haiti."-- (05/22/2011)
"[This] is one of the most important books on the country published in years. . . . It radiates intelligence and understanding."-- (09/14/2011)