Georges Woke Up Laughing: Long-Distance Nationalism and the Search for Home

Rating:
Summary: Ethnographic Dialogue
Review: In this excellent book, Nina Glick Schiller and Georges Eugene Fouron tackle the question of national identity, transmigration, and the effect that this has had on Haitians. The authors chose to write the text as a dialogue between two separate and distinct voices: the first is a voice of the social scientist, attempting a theoretical understanding of social and political aspects of transmigration; the second voice is the personal, intimate one, encompassing the thoughts and emotions of Haitians. The theoretical points made are underscored by real-life narratives, which add depth to the scholarship. I believe this approach is a successful way of creating a "dialogue" between the authors and the subjects (especially in cases such as this, where Georges fits into both categories).

I especially appreciated Schiller's diasporic perspective as a Jew. Her insights to the experiences and differences between Jewish Diaspora and African-Caribbean Diaspora are illuminating.

Rating:
Summary: Ethnographic Dialogue
Review: In this excellent book, Nina Glick Schiller and Georges Eugene Fouron tackle the question of national identity, transmigration, and the effect that this has had on Haitians. The authors chose to write the text as a dialogue between two separate and distinct voices: the first is a voice of the social scientist, attempting a theoretical understanding of social and political aspects of transmigration; the second voice is the personal, intimate one, encompassing the thoughts and emotions of Haitians. The theoretical points made are underscored by real-life narratives, which add depth to the scholarship. I believe this approach is a successful way of creating a "dialogue" between the authors and the subjects (especially in cases such as this, where Georges fits into both categories).

I especially appreciated Schiller's diasporic perspective as a Jew. Her insights to the experiences and differences between Jewish Diaspora and African-Caribbean Diaspora are illuminating.