In the shadow of the Citadel: Haitian national patrimony and vernacular concerns

Abstract

A growing number of heritage studies scholars critique top-down approaches to cultural sites of global significance. International and state organizations, they explain, eschew locals’ concerns. We consider the Parc National Historique, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Haiti, Milot. Writers have produced a history that is hierarchical and nationalistic in ideological tone, which policy makers circulate when promoting the Parc. In so doing, they elide the past roles and present-day concerns of Milot’s residents, who have lived in these structures’ shadows for generations. To access them, our ethnographic work documents a vernacular culture-history, which shares common ground with official interests and departs in important ways. Incongruities in practice and discourse stem from locals’ understanding of heritage ( eritaj) and experiences of instability ( enstabilite). The validation of vernacular concerns makes for a comprehensive understanding of the past. It may also create collaborative opportunities between the community and national (or international) organizations, which can safeguard Haitian patrimony and alleviate socio-economic instabilities.