Also known as: Jean Casimir, The Haitians, The Haitians: A Decolonial History
Last updated: April 16, 2026
A groundbreaking decolonial sociology of Haitian history arguing that Haiti produced two distinct social formations after 1804: a modern/colonial state modeled on French institutions serving elite interests, and the counter-plantation system (système contre-plantation) — the autonomous community organized through Vodou, the lakou, and Kreyòl that represents the true Haitian Revolution. Casimir defines the Haitian Revolution not as the creation of a state but as 'the destruction of a slave system through the creation of a national community,' and insists on distinguishing 'captives' (who never stopped resisting) from 'slaves' (an ontological fiction of colonial thought). The book is the foundational text for the vault's counter-plantation framework.
haitians — The "too embarrassing" framing that contextualizes Grand Boucan's historical suppression
haitians — main source note.
Casimir's The Haitians (2020) provides the only extended analytical treatment of Kakapoul, using him as the emblematic figure of the bossale commanders silenced by Haitian urban society.
Casimir names Labruni in his catalogue of maroon commanders the Haitian state refused to honor, arguing their silencing is more significant than class conflicts with a European aroma.
Casimir names Mavougou in his catalogue of bossale leaders the Haitian state refused to honor, arguing their silencing is more historically significant than class conflicts with a European aroma.
Casimir's The Haitians directly engages Moreau's archive; the 1771 Minister's letter is central to Casimir's argument about racial humiliation as a deliberately engineered technology of colonial order.
Casimir names him explicitly: 'the maroons in flesh and blood — Sans-Souci, Petit Noël Prieur, Jacques Tellier, Cagnel, Jasmin, Mavougou, Vamalheureux, Labruni, Kakapoul — are considered too embarrassing.' Central to the argument about the Unknown Maroon substitution.
haitians — full text of *The Haitians* where Santos's framework is employed
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Jean Casimir. "The Haitians: A Decolonial History." University of North Carolina Press, 2020. Rasin.ai, https://rasin.ai/connections/sources/casimir-haitians. Accessed 2026-05-05.