Haïti et sa pénible quête de reconnaissance au XIXe siècle

Retour sur une épuisante démonstration de civilisation

Abstract

As soon as Haiti’s independence was proclaimed, its leaders felt compelled to adopt the Eurocentric norm of civilisation to challenge the strict boundaries of international law and establish a recognised place for themselves. They had exerted great effort to pre-empt potential objections to James Lorimer’s theory of recognition by demonstrating that they could rely on a presumption of reciprocity and capacity in international relations. However, their efforts to prove their civilisation always seemed to fall short. They were condemned to futilely produce proof of their civilisation, much like the Danaids condemned to the underworld, endlessly filling a barrel with holes. In the absence of comprehensive recognition, most likely hindered by the racialisation of international law (the concept of plenary recognition being reserved for European and North American nations alone), the State of Haiti had to settle for partial recognition, necessitated by the commercial pragmatism of the time.