White Gloves, Black Nation

“A much-needed addition to the canon of Haitian history and the history of women’s activism. . . . Deeply researched and persuasively argued, the work nuances and elaborates on the practices of the activists and intellectuals in a time of possibilities. . . . [V]aluable for students of Haitian, Black, Caribbean, and Latin American feminists, as well as students of complexities of activist work.”—American Historical Review

“Sanders Johnson’s examinations of the intersections of class, gender, sexuality, and race in the lives and work of LFAS women and their representations of Haitian womanhood make a significant contribution to the existing scholarship on the LFAS as well as to scholarship on Haitian and Caribbean feminisms and women’s movements in Haiti, the Caribbean, and elsewhere. Sanders Johnson is in dialogue with a broad range of interdisciplinary scholarship, including literary studies and Haitian women’s fiction. Her skillful analyses and judicious use of sources make White Gloves, Black Nation an essential resource for scholars and students of Haitian studies, Black Diaspora studies, and women’s and gender studies.”—Journal of African American History

“This is an incandescent work of scholarship—a brilliant, creative, original book that has much to offer people interested in the history of Black nationalism and the twentieth-century African diaspora, the contributions of women to those histories, and the ways political action is envisioned and expressed in how we live and move throughout the world.”—Lara Putnam, University of Pittsburgh

“Sanders Johnson has written an innovative and much-needed history of Haitian women’s political thought and organizing across national borders, challenging readers to rethink twentieth-century Haitian history and expand their understanding of Black feminisms, Black nationalisms, and Black women’s role in defining what is socially and politically possible.”—Brandon Byrd, Vanderbilt University

“Sanders Johnson’s meticulous research, attentive reading, and beautiful prose take readers on a journey through the political thought and activism of the Haitian women who sought to carve spaces for themselves within and beyond the nation.” —Annette Joseph-Gabriel, Duke University