Book contents
- More than a Massacre
- Afro-Latin America
- More than a Massacre
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Tables
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Maps
- Introduction
- 1 From Natives to Foreigners
- 2 The End of the Old Border
- 3 Curses, Scuffles, and Public Disturbances
- 4 “They killed my entire family”
- 5 La campaña contra los Haitianos
- 6 The “Dominicanization” of the Border
- 7 Refugees and Land Conflict in the Postgenocide Haitian–Dominican Border Region
- Epilogue: The Right to Have Rights
- Appendix: Photographs
- Bibliography
- Index
4 - “They killed my entire family”
The 1937 Genocide
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 June 2022
- More than a Massacre
- Afro-Latin America
- More than a Massacre
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Tables
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Maps
- Introduction
- 1 From Natives to Foreigners
- 2 The End of the Old Border
- 3 Curses, Scuffles, and Public Disturbances
- 4 “They killed my entire family”
- 5 La campaña contra los Haitianos
- 6 The “Dominicanization” of the Border
- 7 Refugees and Land Conflict in the Postgenocide Haitian–Dominican Border Region
- Epilogue: The Right to Have Rights
- Appendix: Photographs
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Chapter 4 recounts the most intense phase of the violence of the 1937 Genocide and it focuses on the lived experiences of the victims and the survivors. The chapter is largely based on refugee testimonies collected in 1937 as well as a range of oral histories collected since. By closely examining the survivors’ testimonies, the chapter prioritizes their own understanding of the event. It provides a detailed reconstruction of the magnitude, brutality, and premeditated nature of the state-directed violence that took place in 1937. The chapter focuses on several key features of the 1937 Haitian Massacre in considering its relationship to other genocides in the twentieth century. Elements of secrecy, local complicity, extermination, and land appropriation were key features of this genocide. The chapter argues that victims of the 1937 Genocide interpreted the massacre as a major land grab. They also explained local civilian participation in the massacre in terms of pillage. In addition to focusing on their interpretation of the genocide as a form of land grab, the chapter argues that local complicity was more important than previously acknowledged. It also carefully considers patterns of killings that survivors described that occurred months and years after October 1937.
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- More than a MassacreRacial Violence and Citizenship in the Haitian–Dominican Borderlands, pp. 135 - 163Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022