The Macoutization of Haitian Politics

Abstract

This chapter will explore the characteristics of what I will term here the “macoutized state” under the Duvaliers, which includes exclusionary acts and repression, the collapse of distinctions between public and private spheres; the assertion of politics as a mystical force whether Christian, Vodoun, or both; and the construction of a noiriste and nationalist ideology to solidify power. In essence, political activity was seen as something that only a chosen few could partake in, with François Duvalier (and later his son) as the supreme guardian and patriarchal father of the nation. Peasants and the urban poor were treated as subjects of the state and were therefore excluded as participants in the discourse of nation building and equality. In the Duvalier macoutized state, just as in a traditional family, the “children” or its citizens were thought incapable of making complex decisions; only the father was regarded as competent enough to decide. Anyone who dared redefine the private and public spheres was systematically repressed.