A Heart Away from Home: A Study of Haitian Transnational Identities in America

Abstract

This paper is a study on Haitian transnational identities living in America. Iinterviewed Haitian people in both America and Haiti to get an understanding of why theymigrate to America and then observe their goals thereafter. I particularly studied Haitianswho travel back and forth between Haiti and the United States to achieve political, economic,cultural, or artistic goals. Since Haitian immigrants are a more obscured group in sociologicalstudies, I hoped to better understand Haitian immigration from a Haitian perspective. I foundthat the struggle of growing up in Haiti developed an unwavering pride in Haitian culture andstrong sense of self. Haiti inspired my interviewees’ transnational identities because they felta sense of responsibility to helping the country from whence they came.The paper is coupled with a short film I shot in Haiti called “Zanmim,” which means“my friend” in Haitian Creole. It is inspired by one of the interviewees discussed in thepaper.