Mourning in Haitian Culture

3 units

The French Centre National de Ressources Textuelles et Lexicales defines a reposoir as an altar adorned with flowers and ornate foliage erected during a funeral procession onto which a priest places the holy sacrament in a moment of rest. In Haiti, repozwa has multiple meanings: it can refer to a person who provides a safe harbor, a mother or a matriarch, an archive or a repository, it can also designate a resting place where the remains of a person and the memories associated with them lie in repose. In this course, we will examine how Haitian literature - memoirs, novels, poetry, and theater - acts as a repozwa in all of its valences and how it can assist those left behind in their process of mourning. This course counts toward the seminar requirement for the major. Prerequisite: Thinking-It-Through or In-Depth. 3 units