Shutting Down the Rainbow Nation: #FeesMustFall

The Haitian Revolution & Contemporary Theory

by Julie Nxadi

Contemporary theory, in principle, should be informed by nuanced accounts of historical events that form the current political and philosophical climate. It has, however, been informed by persistent trends that have been formed and have gone unchallenged in history, these trends are of course informed by the zeitgeist in which they are formulated. One such trend is that of the particularization and negative connotations correlated to the black body. An action that has coddled and indeed protected this trend is the single narrative in the telling of history which safeguards carefully formulated ideologies and informs contemporary theories. In the following essay I seek to illustrate how the omission of the Haitian Revolution from common political discourse has retarded global tolerance, perpetuated racial dichotomies and provided a historical narrative devoid of nuance and an understanding of subjects surrounding race that is sorely lacking. I will also undertake to illustrate how this has influenced the trajectory of contemporary discourse and the implications that have persisted in contemporary theory as a direct result of this omission.