Study Guide for Week 8
ASSIGNMENTS
1.
TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE, François Dominique. Documents of the Haitian Revolution,
from Toussaint L'Ouverture (1973), ed. George F. Tyson.
Born in St. Domingue (the French portion of Hispaniola) around 1774,
Toussaint's father and mother were Catholic converts and slaves who performed
skilled labor. Prior to the Haitian revolution, Toussaint was a slave who
served as a steward of livestock. In 1791, he joined--and soon led--the black
uprising against slavery. Toussaint fought against the French until the
Assembly's abolition of slavery in 1794. In 1797, Toussaint became
Commander-in-Chief of the French armies in St. Domingue,
and led the army against the Spanish and British. In 1801, Toussaint proclaimed
himself Governor General of St. Domingue, and in 1802
Napoleon sent a military expedition to remove Toussaint and restore slavery. In
June of that year, Toussaint was arrested and taken to France. On 7 April 1803,
Toussaint died in his prison cell. In 1804, under the command of Dessalines,
Christophe, and Petion, the armed people of St. Domingue defeated the French. St. Domingue
became the independent state of Haiti.
i..
"Letter to the Directory, 28 October 1797." For this reading, click here.
ii.
"Dictatorial Proclamation," from Victor Schoelcher,
Vie de Toussaint Louverture. Paul Ollendorf,
Paris, 1889. translated by Mitch Abidor for
marxists.org (2004). For this reading, click here.
2. as-Saffār, Muhammad.
Disorienting Encounters: Travels of a Moroccan Scholar in France in
1845-46 (1992), ed. Susan Gilson Miller
In December 1845, a Moroccan scholar named Muhammad as-Saffār traveled to Paris as secretary to the
Ambassador ‘Abd al-Qadir Ash`āsh, who was sent
on a special diplomatic mission by the Moroccan Sultan ‘Abd ar-Rahman.
During his journey, as-Saffar took careful notes and
when he returned home he wrote his account. An accomplished man of letters, as-Saffār embellished his manuscript with original
observations, poetry, quotations from the Qur’an and Hadith (traditions about
the Prophet), proverbs, jokes, anecdotes, and other Arabic literary flourishes
that mark it as the work of a scholar. You are reading two passages from as-Saffār’s translated text: part of his journey on land
from Marseilles to Paris and some of his experiences in Paris itself. This reading is in two parts. For the
e-reserve copy of part 1 of this reading, click here.
For the e-reserve copy of part 2 of this reading, click here.
QUESTIONS
1. Based on the assigned readings, what expectation does Toussaint
have about what labor and employment will be like in post-emancipation Saint Domingue?
2. In the Letter to the Directory, 28 October 1797, Toussaint L'Ouverture is responding to a report filed by General
Rochambeau on social and political conditions in Haiti. What explanation does
Toussaint provide for the conditions described in General Rochambeau’s report?
3. Identify
one thing discussed in the as-Saffār text that was likely
comprised of materials made or cultivated outside of France or Western Europe. In
other words, identify one item that represents the circulation of things from
elsewhere into France. For the item you
choose, briefly support (with evidence and/or reasons) your judgment that the
item was not something “local” and then state where you think the item (and/or
materials that make up the item) came from.
4.a. According to as-Saffār, what
tasks are required to produce a book at the printing press, and how are the
workers organized within that production process?
4.b. According to as-Saffār, how
are changes in communication technologies influencing society and politics in
mid-century France?