A History of Antihaitianismo

An Illustration of "Us vs. Them" MentalityPerhaps one of the most damaging outcome of neocolonialism was on the island's society, where social relations were hurt as a result of the hate and discrimination inspired by the French and Spanish use of the “other” and “us vs. them” rhetoric. At one point Haiti invaded the Dominican Republic and occupied it for 22 years (until the D.R. gained its independence in 1844). In the decades since, Dominican elites professed their anti-Haitian prejudices (known as antihaitianismo) and used this as a tool for uniting against the perceived common enemy of Haiti.

Rhetoric and propaganda pushed ideas that Dominicans were devout Catholics, while Haitians were voodoo sorcerers who believed in spirits and used black magic in mysterious ceremonies. Dominicans began to consider themselves more white than black as the proud descendants of Spanish colonizers, while Haitians were continuously portrayed as the black descendants of African slaves. To be Dominican meant that one was Hispanic (Spanish-speaking) and NOT black, regardless of skin tone. Fears of another invasion from Haiti resulted in the use of rhetoric that propagated discriminatory views and led to increasing calls for actions that limited the number of Haitian migrants and restricted their descendants’ access to Dominican nationality.