#4881: new book on "Corruption in Haiti". (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From:HAITIBOOKS@aol.com


PÉAN  Leslie J.-R. : « Économie politique de la corruption » (The Political 
Economy of Corruption) published by Éditions Mémoire, Port-au-Prince, 2000, 
523p. (In French) 

Leslie Péan's book is a study of corruption in Haiti as never done before. It 
covers the period from 1791 to 1870, from the French colony of Saint-Domingue 
to Haiti. The author looks at corruption not only from the economic and 
financial standpoint (the usual and traditional way), but above all from the  
ideological and informational viewpoint. He shows how corrupt representations 
stemming from the racist colonial color ideology has permeated all aspects of 
life in Haiti, thereby affecting the everyday economic and political 
practices of the elites but also the masses. Besides looking at corruption 
both in time and space, he discusses the relationships between corruption and 
the government of self, « power and governmentality » as seen by Michel 
Foucault.

This inward-looking approach is refreshing as it uncovers new aspects of the 
color struggle  and the  rivalry between the foreign political powers 
(France, USA, Germany) that have used corruption  as their main tool to 
protect their markets or to insure allegiance to their world hegemonic 
ambitions. Péan also studies the specific corruption filelds (les gisements 
de corruption) such as land ownership and distribution, import-export 
licenses, government positions (customs chiefs, army commanders, public 
notaries, puchase agents for State stores), money lenders to the Government, 
etc. that have contributed to transform the Haitian model of liberation (in 
1804) into a counter-model of oppression (today).

DISTRIBUTED BY :

HAITIAN BOOK CENTRE
Tel. (718) 528-5578
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