article

The Haitian 'Chef de Section'

American anthropologist57 (3) (1)Published In 1955 • Pages: 620-624

By: Comhaire, Jean.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This article discusses linkages between Haiti's 'Frenchified' elites of coastal towns and the illiterate peasant majority of the interiors. It argues that the cultural ideals and aspirations of these two major social classes are extremely contrasting. The elites use their wealth to acquire modern imported goods, while the masses struggle hard to ensure the very survival of their families. Yet relations between these groups are mediated through the role of a wide variety of intermediary functions of local government representatives called 'chef de section' and traditional community leaders including village elders and workparty organizers.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Classes
Cultural identity and pride
Ethnosociology
Community structure
Community councils
Local officials
Territorial hierarchy
Ingroup antagonisms
Military organization
Territorial hierarchy
Congregations
History
Police
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Haitians
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2012
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Middle America and the Caribbean
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Caribbean
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
article
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Anthropologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Teferi Abate Adem; 2011
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1937-1952
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1868-1952
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Haiti
NotesAdditional notes
Jean L. Comhaire
Includes bibliographical references (p. 624)
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
17015424
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Haitians