In the Haitian religious tradition of Vodou, Gede is the lwa, or spirit, concerned with the
beginning of life and the passage into the afterlife, death and regeneration. Gede is often
regarded as the spirit of the people in Haiti because he has a direct connection to every living
being, everyone may call on Gede for protection. Gede’s appeal also resides in his freedom, his
ability to transgress the borders that constrain the living and the dead. This course proposes a
study of Haitian literature through the lens of Gede as authors transgress temporal, spatial, and
linguistic boundaries to communicate with and through the dead. Taking a case-study approach
to Haitian literature and history, you will engage in the study of real and mythical figures of the
Haitian past to explore how writers and artists “perform” Gede’s work of communicating with
and through the dead. This course aims to provide a longue durée approach to Haitian time
(more than 500 years of history) and to expose you to the variety of genres Haitians have used to
regenerate the presence of those who have passed.