Papers by Miriam Franchina
Rassegna Storica del Risorgimento, 2024
his article offers a new interpretation of Queen Marie-Louise of Haiti's (1778-1851) exile in Ita... more his article offers a new interpretation of Queen Marie-Louise of Haiti's (1778-1851) exile in Italy. Departing from the prevailing focus on her domestic life, it argues for the political and intellectual significance of her time in Pisa (1824-1851) by grounding it in Haiti's unique status as the first nation to abolish slavery. Taking up the challenge of reconstructing the voices of Afro-descendant women, this paper uses overlooked documentary fragments to connect Marie-Louise's apparent withdrawal from politics to her role as the first Afro-descendant queen in the Americas. She is presented as a revolutionary figure who embodied King Henry I's national narrative while in Italy, thereby contributing to the transatlantic circulation of people and ideas that defined the early patriotic milieu.
Keywords: Queen Marie-Louise of Haiti; Haitian Revolution; Saint-Domingue; Henry Christophe
Atlantic Studies
This paper explores how Africans and Afro-Creoles used discourses shaped by Catholicism during th... more This paper explores how Africans and Afro-Creoles used discourses shaped by Catholicism during the Haitian Revolution both to fight the prospect of re-enslavement by the French and to pursue alternative notions of freedom to those proposed by Toussaint Louverture. Specifically, it examines the appeals for Sunday rest and free days; and the use of protective amulets in pursuit of divinely-granted invulnerability in battle. Afro-Catholicism helped forge a sense of common identity during the colonial period, and enslaved people took a more active role in its dissemination than previously acknowledged. Free cultivateurs and soldiers later appropriated Catholicism as an effective language of resistance because they shared it with the French colonial authorities and the emerging Haitian élites. Arguments about Afro-Catholicism in West Central Africa and Ibero-America also apply to the French Caribbean and underscore the Atlantic entanglements in the development of Catholicism.
Atlantic Studies, 2023
This paper explores how Africans and Afro-Creoles used discourses shaped by Catholicism during th... more This paper explores how Africans and Afro-Creoles used discourses shaped by Catholicism during the Haitian Revolution both to fight the prospect of re-enslavement by the French and to pursue alternative notions of freedom to those proposed by Toussaint Louverture. Specifically, it examines the appeals for Sunday rest and free days; and the use of protective amulets in pursuit of divinely-granted invulnerability in battle. Afro-Catholicism helped forge a sense of common identity during the colonial period, and enslaved people took a more active role in its dissemination than previously acknowledged. Free cultivateurs and soldiers later appropriated Catholicism as an effective language of resistance because they shared it with the French colonial authorities and the emerging Haitian élites. Arguments about Afro-Catholicism in West Central Africa and Ibero-America also apply to the French Caribbean and underscore the Atlantic entanglements in the development of Catholicism.
Damien Tricoire (Universität Trier), Miriam Franchina (Universität Trier), and Jeremy Popkin (Uni... more Damien Tricoire (Universität Trier), Miriam Franchina (Universität Trier), and Jeremy Popkin (Univ. of Kentucky) are organizing a conference entitled “Catholic Abolitionisms.” The conference will be held in Trier (Germany) on June 15-16, 2023.
We invite interested scholars to send a 250-word proposal for a 20 minutes presentation to Miriam Franchina (franchina@uni-trier.de) by September 30, 2022.
If accepted, speakers will be asked to circulate a draft of their talk shortly before the conference.
French History, 2022
In line with reconsiderations of the importance of religion in the Age of Revolutions, this artic... more In line with reconsiderations of the importance of religion in the Age of Revolutions, this article reconstructs how French priests competed to gain control of the Church in revolutionary Saint-Domingue and navigated the ever-changing political landscapes triggered by the Haitian and French Revolutions. Priests in the Haitian Revolution were also priests in the French Revolution: divided in their visions of a Church—Gallican and constitutional, or in communion with Rome—and active on both sides of the Atlantic. Priests’ motives for cooperating with the enslaved insurgents between 1791 and 1793, and with the free cultivateurs thereafter, are here contextualized within the ongoing frictions between Rome and Paris. Their experiences offer a fruitful means to gauge the entanglements between the French and Haitian Revolution, and suggest how some Haitian revolutionaries—Louverture and King Christophe, for instance—turned to Rome as an alternative to France as a source of political legiti...
Cristianesimo nella Storia, 2021
This paper studies sacramental practices, with a focus on confession, among
the enslaved African... more This paper studies sacramental practices, with a focus on confession, among
the enslaved Africans and Afro-Creoles in the early-modern, French Carib-
bean colonies. An examination of how confession intended to curb abortion,
poisoning and marronage shows how the Church in the late 18th-century
debates on enslaved. The paper suggests that the enslaved may have bent the
mosaic of colonial jurisdiction and ensuing tensions among different author-
ities to their advantage, thereby making Catholicism an important means
to shape a collective identity that transcended common enslavement. While
Catholicism preached compliance with the status quo, it is here suggested
that its practices and enactors on the ground may have unwittingly opened
up spaces that the enslaved used to negotiate their conditions. By looking
for sites of enslaved agency surrounding the sacrament of confession, we
can then strive to understand how Catholicism might have played a role in
eventual slave uprisings.
Keywords: Confession, French Caribbean, Enslaved People, Africans, Afro-
Creoles
French History
In line with reconsiderations of the importance of religion in the Age of Revolutions, this artic... more In line with reconsiderations of the importance of religion in the Age of Revolutions, this article reconstructs how French priests competed to gain control of the Church in revolutionary Saint-Domingue and navigated the ever-changing political landscapes triggered by the Haitian and French Revolutions. Priests in the Haitian Revolution were also priests in the French Revolution: divided in their visions of a Church—Gallican and constitutional, or in communion with Rome—and active on both sides of the Atlantic. Priests’ motives for cooperating with the enslaved insurgents between 1791 and 1793, and with the free cultivateurs thereafter, are here contextualized within the ongoing frictions between Rome and Paris. Their experiences offer a fruitful means to gauge the entanglements between the French and Haitian Revolution, and suggest how some Haitian revolutionaries—Louverture and King Christophe, for instance—turned to Rome as an alternative to France as a source of political legitimacy.
Age of Revolutions, 2021
When Haiti proclaimed its independence from France in 1804, Jean-François Petecou was on the othe... more When Haiti proclaimed its independence from France in 1804, Jean-François Petecou was on the other side of the Atlantic in Cádiz, Spain. He had been among the earliest leaders of the 1791 slave insurrection that became the Haitian Revolution (1791–1804). From 1793 to 1795, as the general of the Black auxiliary troops of King Carlos IV, Petecou made it possible for Spain to envision a conquest of Saint-Domingue, France’s richest colony, across the border from Santo Domingo. It was Petecou’s former comrade Toussaint Louverture who tipped the scales of war in France’s favor. He, too, had begun as a Spanish ally, but switched his loyalties to France in 1794. Louverture was equally unable to witness Haiti declare its independence; he died imprisoned and neglected in France in 1803. Petecou lost twice: on the battlefield against Louverture, and again in the historiographical arena. In fact, scholars still refer to him as “Jean-François” or by his former master’s surname – Papillon – although he refused to be reduced to a first name “like a vile beast.” Instead, like Louverture, he chose for himself a surname – Petecou.[1] Louverture has gained rightful attention as one of the forgers of Haitian political independence and freedom for all enslaved people. Petecou, by contrast, is remembered as the leader who valued Spanish military decorations over the universal abolition of slavery and only fought for partial freedom.[2] It is largely overlooked that he, too, similarly and earlier than Louverture, considered changing loyalties from Spain to France.[3] Petecou ultimately did not trust that white planters would simply accept that the formerly enslaved shake off their chains. Scholars are uncovering the nuanced strategies and conflicting interests at play in the Haitian Revolution to fully reconstruct the agency of the formerly enslaved.[4] Haitian history does not need another hero with epaulettes. Notwithstanding, Petecou’s lifelong challenge to the colonial system reminds us that Haitian attacks on colonialism and slavery were complex and, seen in hindsight, controversial. At Petecou’s back were between 7,000 and 12,000 soldiers and their numberless families. Archives do not give us their voices, yet they stood by Petecou, and fought their enslavers while “avenging God and the King.”
Przegląd Nauk Historycznych
Slavery & Abolition A Journal of Slave and Post-Slave Studies , 2021
Based on underexploited primary sources, this article provides insights on the political culture ... more Based on underexploited primary sources, this article provides insights on the political culture of slaves by reconstructing the negotiation strategies of Jean-François, one of the most powerful black leaders of the Haitian Revolution. While scholarship depicts Jean-François’s loyalty to Spain as a foregone conclusion, it is suggested here that his rejection of an alliance with France was the outcome of a careful consideration of the options available and of his diplomatic machinations. Jean-François’s entreaties to both France and Spain and his diversified approach to French, Spanish and black generals’ propaganda may have represented an inspirational example for Toussaint Louverture. A reconstruction of Jean-François’s relationship with Spanish clergyman Josef Vázquez shows that Catholicism formed a pillar of his efforts to gain diplomatic leverage in spite of the difficulties of establishing mutual trust across racial lines. Jean-François skilfully appropriated Catholicism – a cornerstone of European colonialism – to influence his Spanish counterparts and challenge their racist bias. Religious performances proved their cohesive power and potential for the mobilization of slaves: Jean-François’s troops followed him until his final relocation to Spain, an outcome which was not a mere imposition by Spanish authorities as previously thought.
14 December, 2020
For early nineteenth-century Italian patriots, the Atlantic connected their divided homeland to t... more For early nineteenth-century Italian patriots, the Atlantic connected their divided homeland to the revolutionary Americas in a cosmopolitan quest for national independence that defied the order imposed by the Congress of Vienna in 1814-1815.[1] Postcolonial nations in the Americas – whether they had already achieved independence or were battling for it – attracted such “itinerant patriots,” as they pursued revolutionary ambitions that seemed forestalled in their native peninsula.[2] Several Italians took their patriotic aspirations in exile, a temporary or lasting choice dictated by political convictions, economic opportunities, and other contingencies.[3] A judiciary trial from Spanish Santo Domingo (1810) and a never-written history of Haiti shed light on a specific route of such exile – the Caribbean crossing. Active as non-imperial subjects within shifting colonial empires, Italians of patriotic leanings encountered forms of patriotism that were deeply entangled with anti-colonial and race issues in the Caribbean.
Atlantic Studies, 2020
By examining how news from Haiti was picked up by Italian periodicals, reference and educational ... more By examining how news from Haiti was picked up by Italian periodicals, reference and educational works in the early nineteenth century, I suggest that the Italian peninsula provides a new perspective for gauging the impact of Haitian self- presentation based on the appropriation and subversion of Eurocentric notions of civilization. An intellectual triangulation involving Simondi, Vastey, and Mazères highlights a hitherto uncharted Italian reception of Haitian post-revolutionary discourses. Without a colonial empire, Italian writers addressed the slave trade, colonialism, and Haitian independence as instrumental to their patriotic ambitions. Haitian contestations of the imperialistic order set at the Congress of Vienna suited the Italian vision of a global struggle for national independence. Haitian claims that civilization originated in Africa provided an argument against the narrative of progress spearheaded by Northern Europe; a notion that Italian patriots disputed owing to their pursuit of a leading role for their prospective nation in the Mediterranean.
Erudition and the Republic of Letters, 2018
This is a working paper. I would be grateful for any feedback and comment. As agreed with the Uni... more This is a working paper. I would be grateful for any feedback and comment. As agreed with the University of Kent, it can be freely removed from the site in case of a full publication.
Drafts by Miriam Franchina
https://amis-de-la-reine.org/
memorial day for MARIE-LOUISE CHRISTOPHE,
queen of HAITI PISa, 23 april 2023
Role played by Catholicism among people of African descent in eighteenth-century Saint-Domingue a... more Role played by Catholicism among people of African descent in eighteenth-century Saint-Domingue and early post-colonial Haiti. My aim is to investigate the complex intersection of religion, culture, and politics during a period when slaves began to reimagine themselves as citizens of an independent nation.
Submitted: August 2016 at the Marthin-Luther-Universität, Halle S.
Awaiting for evaluation repor... more Submitted: August 2016 at the Marthin-Luther-Universität, Halle S.
Awaiting for evaluation reports.
Uploads
Papers by Miriam Franchina
Keywords: Queen Marie-Louise of Haiti; Haitian Revolution; Saint-Domingue; Henry Christophe
We invite interested scholars to send a 250-word proposal for a 20 minutes presentation to Miriam Franchina (franchina@uni-trier.de) by September 30, 2022.
If accepted, speakers will be asked to circulate a draft of their talk shortly before the conference.
the enslaved Africans and Afro-Creoles in the early-modern, French Carib-
bean colonies. An examination of how confession intended to curb abortion,
poisoning and marronage shows how the Church in the late 18th-century
debates on enslaved. The paper suggests that the enslaved may have bent the
mosaic of colonial jurisdiction and ensuing tensions among different author-
ities to their advantage, thereby making Catholicism an important means
to shape a collective identity that transcended common enslavement. While
Catholicism preached compliance with the status quo, it is here suggested
that its practices and enactors on the ground may have unwittingly opened
up spaces that the enslaved used to negotiate their conditions. By looking
for sites of enslaved agency surrounding the sacrament of confession, we
can then strive to understand how Catholicism might have played a role in
eventual slave uprisings.
Keywords: Confession, French Caribbean, Enslaved People, Africans, Afro-
Creoles
Drafts by Miriam Franchina
Awaiting for evaluation reports.
Keywords: Queen Marie-Louise of Haiti; Haitian Revolution; Saint-Domingue; Henry Christophe
We invite interested scholars to send a 250-word proposal for a 20 minutes presentation to Miriam Franchina (franchina@uni-trier.de) by September 30, 2022.
If accepted, speakers will be asked to circulate a draft of their talk shortly before the conference.
the enslaved Africans and Afro-Creoles in the early-modern, French Carib-
bean colonies. An examination of how confession intended to curb abortion,
poisoning and marronage shows how the Church in the late 18th-century
debates on enslaved. The paper suggests that the enslaved may have bent the
mosaic of colonial jurisdiction and ensuing tensions among different author-
ities to their advantage, thereby making Catholicism an important means
to shape a collective identity that transcended common enslavement. While
Catholicism preached compliance with the status quo, it is here suggested
that its practices and enactors on the ground may have unwittingly opened
up spaces that the enslaved used to negotiate their conditions. By looking
for sites of enslaved agency surrounding the sacrament of confession, we
can then strive to understand how Catholicism might have played a role in
eventual slave uprisings.
Keywords: Confession, French Caribbean, Enslaved People, Africans, Afro-
Creoles
Awaiting for evaluation reports.
Rapin's unprecedented standards of historiographical accuracy triggered both politically-informed reinterpretations of the Histoire in partisan newspapers and a multitude of adaptations that catered to an ever-growing number of readers. Despite a long-standing assessment as a "standard Whig historian", Rapin fashioned the impartial persona of a judge-historian, in compliance with the expectations of the Republic of Letters. His personal trajectory illuminates how scholars pursued trustworthy knowledge and how they reconsidered the boundaries of their community in the face of the booming printing industry and the interconnected growth of general readership. Rapin's oeuvre provided significant raw material for Voltaire's and Hume's Enlightenment historiographical narratives. A comparative foray into their respective different approaches to history and authorship cautions us against assuming a direct transition from the Republic of Letters into an Enlightenment Republic of Letters. To study the diffusion and the impact of Rapin's works is to understand that empirical history-writing, defined by its commitment to erudition in the service of impartiality, coexisted with the histoire philosophique.