Despite their relatively small size, the neighboring nations of Haiti and Cuba have played disproportionately large roles in shaping world history. Each was the site of one of the world's most dramatic revolutions, suddenly transforming the basic structures of society and variously inspiring and terrifying people around the globe with new visions and possibilities. Both the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) and the 1959 Cuban Revolution embodied radical egalitarian dreams, probably the most radical in the history of the Americas, for eliminating class and racial hierarchies. The Haitian Revolution forged an unprecedented world of universal freedom and racial equality and inaugurated a century-long process of emancipation that dismantled the institution of slavery around the globe. The 1959 Cuban Revolution quickly terminated the island's capitalist economy and envisaged the elimination of all social and economic inequalities, including discrimination based on race and gender. Both the Haitian and Cuban Revolutions, however, failed to produce political democracies. This course will treat the vexed histories of Haiti and Cuba with a focus on their revolutions, their relations with the United States, and their overall significance within world history. We will also discuss related themes in the Caribbean region at large.

This class is DAAS's capstone course. The class focuses on writing and research skills as well as on the exchange of ideas and collective analysis of the assigned texts.

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