Papers by Celucien Joseph
Early American Literature, 2022
New West Indian Guide, 2017
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the prevailing cc-by-nc license at ... more This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the prevailing cc-by-nc license at the time of publication.
The Journal of Pan-African Studies, 2015
Last year Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka ("Wole Soyinka") celebrated his eightieth... more Last year Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka ("Wole Soyinka") celebrated his eightieth birthday. Soyinka is a Nigerian writer, playwright, poet, human rights activist, cultural critic, and public intellectual who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, becoming the first person in Africa to receive the award. (1) An activist in Nigeria's fight for independence, Soyinka was imprisoned in solitary confinement from 1967 to 1969 for writing an article that called for a cease-fire. To this day, he is involved in the politics of Nigeria. As a prolific writer and a man of extraordinary talents and skills, Soyinka has published and produced plays, poetry collections, essays, novels, memoirs, short stories, and film projects; academic and historical books. He has three honorary doctorates (University of Leeds, Harvard, and Princeton); taught at universities in Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, and he is presently Professor in Residence at Loyola Marymou...
Missionalia, Feb 1, 2019
The objective of this essay is to investigate the public function of Christian theology in the (p... more The objective of this essay is to investigate the public function of Christian theology in the (politico-theological writings and hermeneutics of James H. Cone. It is also to articulate a critique of white American theology. In Cone's work, Christian theology is expressed as a public discourse and testimony of God's continuing emancipative movements and empowering presence in society with the goal (1) to set the oppressed and the vulnerable free, (2) to readjust the things of the world toward divine justice and peace, and (3) to bring healing and restoration to the places in which volitional (human) agents have inflicted pain, suffering, oppression, and all forms of evil. This essay is an attempt to imagine creatively with new hermeneutical lenses and approaches-anti-imperial, liberative, and postcolonial-the task of Christian theology as public witness to carry out the emancipative agenda and reconciling mission (salvation, healing, hospitality, wholeness, reconciliation, and peace) of God in contemporary societies and in our postcolonial moments. The basic argument of this essay is twofold. First, it contends for the essential role of liberation theology as a public witness in redefining Christian theology in general. Rather than being a "special interest" or merely political theme in theology, it suggests that black liberation theology has a special role to play in "freeing" Christian theology from racism, oppression, and imperialism. Second, by promoting some new understanding of Cone's work and applying it in some new context, this article is deploying Cone's public theology to critique or awaken dominant white theology to a new way of thinking about the whole field of theology in the 21st century.
Missionalia, Feb 1, 2019
The objective of this essay is to investigate the public function of Christian theology in the (p... more The objective of this essay is to investigate the public function of Christian theology in the (politico-theological writings and hermeneutics of James H. Cone. It is also to articulate a critique of white American theology. In Cone's work, Christian theology is expressed as a public discourse and testimony of God's continuing emancipative movements and empowering presence in society with the goal (1) to set the oppressed and the vulnerable free, (2) to readjust the things of the world toward divine justice and peace, and (3) to bring healing and restoration to the places in which volitional (human) agents have inflicted pain, suffering, oppression, and all forms of evil. This essay is an attempt to imagine creatively with new hermeneutical lenses and approaches-anti-imperial, liberative, and postcolonial-the task of Christian theology as public witness to carry out the emancipative agenda and reconciling mission (salvation, healing, hospitality, wholeness, reconciliation, and peace) of God in contemporary societies and in our postcolonial moments. The basic argument of this essay is twofold. First, it contends for the essential role of liberation theology as a public witness in redefining Christian theology in general. Rather than being a "special interest" or merely political theme in theology, it suggests that black liberation theology has a special role to play in "freeing" Christian theology from racism, oppression, and imperialism. Second, by promoting some new understanding of Cone's work and applying it in some new context, this article is deploying Cone's public theology to critique or awaken dominant white theology to a new way of thinking about the whole field of theology in the 21st century.
Black Theology, 2018
This essay examines the contributions of four Caribbean theologians to the disciplines of theolog... more This essay examines the contributions of four Caribbean theologians to the disciplines of theology and anthropology, and human rights conversations. Jean-Bertrand Aristide (Haiti), Idris Hamid (Trinidad), Noel Leo Erskine (Jamaica), and D.H. Kortright Davis (Antigua and Barbuda) articulate a common vision of a Caribbean theology of emancipation and decolonization. Arguably, their political theological discourse is an attempt to engage the Caribbean experience within the framework of the postcolonial life and antiimperial reason. There exist substantial convergences and confluences, as well as ideological parallels and connections in the political theology and contextual theology of freedom and hope in the work of these four thinkers who emerged from four different geographical corners of the Caribbean. Finally, we will make some connections to the revolutionary ideas and political theology of Fidel Castro. Caribbean theology of emancipation, decolonization, and hope emerges out of the labyrinth of European slavery and colonialism, American imperialism, White supremacy, and globalization.
Approaches to Teaching the Works of Edwidge Danticat, 2019
The goal of this book is to provide a pedagogical approach to teach Edwidge Danticat’s collection... more The goal of this book is to provide a pedagogical approach to teach Edwidge Danticat’s collection of works. The project has a twofold objective. First, it will explore diasporic categories and postcolonial themes such as gender constructs, cultural nationalism, cultural and communal identities, problems of location and (dis) location, religious otherness, and the interplay between history and memory. Secondly, the book will investigate Danticat’s human rights activism, the immigrant experience, the relationship between the particular and the universal, and the violence of hegemony and imperialism in relationship with society, family, and community. We envision this book to be interdisciplinary and used in undergraduate and graduate courses. We are particularly interested in the teaching of her major works including but not limited to the following: • Krik? Krak! • Breath, Eyes, Memory • The Farming of Bones • The Dew Breaker • Claire of the Sea Light • Brother, I’m Dying • Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist at Work If you would like to contribute a book chapter to this important project, along with a brief bio, please submit a 300 word abstract by Monday, December 19, 2016, to Celucien Joseph @ [email protected] and Suchismita Banerjee @ [email protected] Contributors will be notified of acceptance on Monday, February 13, 2017. We are looking for original and unpublished essays for this book.
Theology Today, 2016
This essay examines the work of two prominent progressive Haitian Theologians: Laënnec Hurbon, a ... more This essay examines the work of two prominent progressive Haitian Theologians: Laënnec Hurbon, a Catholic Theologian and former Priest, and Jean Fils-Aimé, a Protestant Theologian and former Pastor in Montreal, and their interaction with the Vodou religion. Both thinkers have written prolifically about the three major religious expressions in Haiti and the enduring religious conflict between Protestantism, Catholicism, and Vodou in the Caribbean nation. The history of relations between Christianity-both Protestant and Catholic-and Vodou in Haiti is marked by a high degree of combativeness, hostility, and discomfort. To resolve the religious tension between Haitian Vodou and Haitian Christianity, Hurbon has suggested a frank ecumenical dialogue between Vodou, Catholicism, and Protestantism, and carefully demonstrated the legitimation of Vodou in the Haitian experience and life. In the same line of thought, Fils-Aimé has recommended an interreligious dialogue between the two religious traditions, and brilliantly argued for the inculturation of the Vodou faith in Haitian Protestantism and culture. Through their work, both thinkers continue to campaign for more religious tolerance, pluralism, and religious inclusivism in Haitian society. I am suggesting that the Catholic theologian Laënnec Hurbon in his classic work Dieu dans le vaudou haïtien (1972) has inaugurated what we phrase the Christian-Vodouist compromissory tradition. Following the footsteps of Hurbon, Fils-Aimé in his controversial and learned work Vodou, je me souviens, published in 2007, has done for Haitian Protestantism what Hurbon has achieved for Haitian Catholicism-pushing forward the idea of the inculturation of Vodou culture and practices in Protestant Christianity in Haiti-within the framework of a Protestant-Vodouist compromissory tradition.
Black Theology, 2017
The essay has a twofold objectives. First, it analyzes the complex relationships of popular viole... more The essay has a twofold objectives. First, it analyzes the complex relationships of popular violence, gansterization, and chimerization associated with Jean-Bertrand Aristide's political leadership and actions during his second presidential administration. Secondly, it examines Aristide's first politico-theological treatise, 100 Vese Dechoukaj Va T'en Satan! to study whether he has formulated or articulated a theology of violence and aggression that will later shape his political leadership during his second presidential administration. It is evident in this early text, Aristide has perfected a rhetoric of bellicosity, framed within a particular theo-political hermeneutics and discourse, to damn the Duvalierists and Macoutes, and uproot the oppressors and distractors of the Haitian people. In other words, this essay argues that the popular violence and gangsterism associated with Aristide's second-term presidency and his Fanmi Lavalas supporters have deep roots in Aristide's revolutionary theology of contextualization and biblical hermeneutical re-appropriation to the Haitian experience of his time.
Black Theology, 2017
The essay has a twofold objectives. First, it analyzes the complex relationships of popular viole... more The essay has a twofold objectives. First, it analyzes the complex relationships of popular violence, gansterization, and chimerization associated with Jean-Bertrand Aristide's political leadership and actions during his second presidential administration. Secondly, it examines Aristide's first politico-theological treatise, 100 Vese Dechoukaj Va T'en Satan! to study whether he has formulated or articulated a theology of violence and aggression that will later shape his political leadership during his second presidential administration. It is evident in this early text, Aristide has perfected a rhetoric of bellicosity, framed within a particular theo-political hermeneutics and discourse, to damn the Duvalierists and Macoutes, and uproot the oppressors and distractors of the Haitian people. In other words, this essay argues that the popular violence and gangsterism associated with Aristide's second-term presidency and his Fanmi Lavalas supporters have deep roots in Aristide's revolutionary theology of contextualization and biblical hermeneutical re-appropriation to the Haitian experience of his time.
Toronto Journal of Theology, 2014
This article argues that Aristide's theology of the poor should be construed as a robust theology... more This article argues that Aristide's theology of the poor should be construed as a robust theology of relationality; it calls for an ethics of participation and collaboration in the plight of the poor. In this sense, we situate Aristide's theological discourse not only in the liberation theology framework but also in the politico-theological and democratic tradition, what Douglass Sturm has termed ''a politics of relationality.'' A theology of relationality focuses on the horizontal relations between the poor and the theologianactivist. The horizontal aspect defines and shapes the ethics of democratic participation and collaboration by cultivating a dynamic alliance with the poor and fostering a genuine bond between the poor and theologian-activist. Hence, a theology of relationality promotes democratic values, rights, freedom, and the welfare of the oppressed and poor. This participatory approach to theology of liberation might be the zone for active collaboration with the collective poor, oppressive communities, and Third World countries. This article examines the concept of ''the poor'' in Aristide's theological discourse and explores his theology of relationality.
Theology Today, 2013
Jacques Roumain’s 1944 peasant novel, Gouverneurs de la roséé ( Masters of the Dew, 1947) is not ... more Jacques Roumain’s 1944 peasant novel, Gouverneurs de la roséé ( Masters of the Dew, 1947) is not only a testament to stunning literary skill but also a masterwork of profound theological and philosophical reflection that articulates a robust humanistic and theo-political response to the problem of evil, suffering, pain, and poverty in the world. The objective of this article is twofold. First, it explores the intersections of the rhetoric of suffering, hope, and redemption in the novel. Second, it analyses Roumain’s creative theological construction of the atonement language and the presentation of Manuel Jean-Joseph as the Christ-figure and peasant-redeemer in the narrative. This article interprets Masters of the Dew’s atonement theology first in the light of René Gerard’s theory of scapegoating as articulated in his 1972 book, La violence et le sacré ( Violence and the Sacred, 1977), and, second, against the backdrop of the biblical story of the atoning sacrifice of Christ. I argu...
Journal of World History, 2010
class conflict, and the Jacobins’ enemies included political moderates. Beyond the debates on cau... more class conflict, and the Jacobins’ enemies included political moderates. Beyond the debates on causation and violence, Hanson does not discuss the Terror’s departure from the constitutional ideals of 1789. He notes that the uprising that forced the convention to purge the Girondins, effectively ending parliamentary democracy, was “remarkably peaceful” (p. 99). The book contains no reference to “Revolutionary Government” and accepts the Montagnards’ explanation that the threat of war and rebellion made it impossible to implement the constitution of 1793. While Hanson refers to the contemporary “War on Terror” in the context of challenging assumptions that terror or terrorism are necessarily the work of ideological fanaticism, it would be equally valid to suggest a parallel between recent U.S. policy and the Jacobin Terror, which also justified ruthlessness and extraconstitutional measures as necessary responses to extraordinary circumstances. william s. cormack University of Guelph
Journal of Black Studies, 2012
Jean Price-Mars was a towering figure in the discipline of Africana studies and a passionate prop... more Jean Price-Mars was a towering figure in the discipline of Africana studies and a passionate proponent of the revalorization of African retentions in the Black diaspora, especially on Haitian soil. Scholars have identified him as the Francophone counterpart of W. E. B. Du Bois for his activism, scholarly rigor, leadership efficiency, and efforts in the rehabilitation of the Black race. In Haitian thought, he is regarded as the most important Haitian intellectual in the 20th century, having exercised an enduring intellectual influence on the generation of the American occupation in Haiti (1915-1934) and the postoccupation culture from the 1930s to 1970s. While students of Haitian studies and scholars of religion have praised him for his scientific study of the Vodou faith and his intelligent argument for the viability of Vodou as religion, few critics have analyzed the complexity of his religious imagination and ideas. The goal of this essay is to analyze Price-Mars’s engagements wit...
The objective of this research is to examine the theological ideas and moral vision of Jean-Bertr... more The objective of this research is to examine the theological ideas and moral vision of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and to explore how his theology (and theological hermeneutics and ethics) has influenced his politics of solidarity and social activism on behalf of the oppressed and the poor in Haiti in particular, and the wretched of the earth, in general. Through the use of the postcolonial, decolonial, and Liberation Theology paradigms as hermeneutical and theoretical methods of investigation, the project seeks to answer a threefold question: what is the relationship between theology and social activism and transformation in the thought and writings of Jean-Bertrand Aristide? What is the place and function of the community of faith, the poor, the oppressed, hope, and human liberation in the political theology of Jean-Bertrand Aristide? What is the place of (defensive) violence in Aristide's theology? Our goal in this scholarly investigation is an attempt to provide an answer to these © © U Un ni iv ve er rs si it ty y o of f P Pr re et to or ri ia a © © U Un ni iv ve er rs si it ty y o of f P Pr re et to or ri ia a iii
The Journal of Pan-African Studies, 2015
The Problem of Religion: Violence and FearLike the human will, religion is an imaginative human e... more The Problem of Religion: Violence and FearLike the human will, religion is an imaginative human enterprise that animates good and/or bad choices, generates constructive and/or destructive ideas or concepts that shape the human experience in this world. "Religion, however it is defined, involves a certain kind of attitude."1 Immanuel Kant in Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone associates the freedom of choice to the disposition (Gesinnung) of the will (Willkur). The paragraph below briefly references this vital aspect of Kant's moral philosophy:The freedom for the will [Willkur] is a wholly unique nature in that an incentive can determine the will to an action only so far as the individual has incorporated it into his maxim (has made it the general rule in accordance with which he will conduct himself); only thus can an incentive, whatever it may be, coexist with the absolute spontaneity of the will [Willkur] (i.e. freedom).2Like religion, the human will "is...
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Papers by Celucien Joseph
The New Life Catechism is about spiritual formation and development and so designed to teach children about the great theological truths and ethical practices of the Christian faith. It is written with great theological clarity and precision, and rhetorical eloquence. This gospel-focused guide directs our attention to the relationship between the Christian life, society, and doing good works, and also focuses on how Christian kids should live in society and with others relationally and peacefully. It teaches us about the importance of difference and unity, and the beauty of diversity and multiplicity expressed through God's creation and the various cultures, races, and ethnic groups God made for his glory. This study can be used in Sunday school classes and small groups on spiritual formation for children. The target audience includes two different age groups: 3-7, and 8-11, respectively. Christian Parents and educators will read the catechism to the first age group; children belonging to the second age group can read it by themselves.
Nonetheless, individuals of any age group will find this summarized statement of the Christian faith informative, insightful, empowering, and doctrinally sound. The overall objective of this book is to lead individuals, especially Christian children, to love God more passionately and affectionately, as well as to grow more in grace and in our knowledge and understanding of the Triune God and to achieve gradual maturity in our relationships and interactions with our neighbor. We also hope that The New Life Catechism will help the church to construct this new radical life we are called to live in this world and to combat and thus solve the crisis of biblical illiteracy among Christian children and adults in our culture, especially in Christian circles. The book is also available in French and Creole.
The book provides a reconceptualization of Roumain's intellectual itineraries against the backdrop of two public spheres: a national public sphere (Haiti) and a transnational public sphere (the global world). Second, it remaps and reframes Roumain's intellectual circuits and his critical engagements within a wide range of intellectual traditions, cultural and political movements, and philosophical and religious systems. Third, the book argues that Roumain's perspective on religion, social development, and his critiques of religion in general and of institutionalized Christianity in particular were substantially influenced by a Marxist philosophy of history and secular humanist approach to faith and human progress.
Finally, the book advances the idea that Roumain's concept of development is linked to the theories of democratic socialism, relational anthropology, distributive justice, and communitarianism. Ultimately, this work demonstrates that Roumain believed that only through effective human solidarity and collaboration can serious social transformation and real human emancipation take place."
The chapters in this collection tell a story about the dynamics of the Vodou faith and the rich ways Vodou has molded the Haitian narrative and psyche. The contributors of this book examine this constructed narrative from a multicultural voice that engages critically the discipline of ethnomusicology, drama, performance, art, anthropology, ethnography, economics, literature, intellectual history, philosophy, psychology, sociology, religion, and theology. Vodou is also studied from multiple theoretical approaches including queer, feminist theory, critical race theory, Marxism, postcolonial criticism, postmodernism, and psychoanalysis.
Vodou in the Haitian Experience studies comparatively the connections and relationships between Vodou and African traditional religions such as Yoruba religion and Egyptian religion. Such studies might enhance our understanding of the religion, and the connections between Africa and its Diaspora through shared religious patterns and practices. The general reader should be mindful of the transnational and transcultural perspectives of Vodou, as well as the cultural, socio-economic, and political context which gave birth to different visions and ideas of Vodou.
The chapters in this collection tell a story about the dynamics of the Vodou faith and the rich ways Vodou has molded the Haitian narrative and psyche. The contributors of this book examine this constructed narrative from a multicultural voice that engages critically the discipline of ethnomusicology, drama, performance, art, anthropology, ethnography, economics, literature, intellectual history, philosophy, psychology, sociology, religion, and theology. Vodou is also studied from multiple theoretical approaches including queer, feminist theory, critical race theory, Marxism, postcolonial criticism, postmodernism, and psychoanalysis.