Encountering God in Haiti: An Invitation to Postcolonial Practical Theology

This study seeks to construct a postcolonial practical theology from the perspective of Haitian lived experience. Through engagement with various aspects of Haitian history and lived experience, it traces the Haitian people's difficulties to the evil that has pervaded Haitian relationships among themselves and with the community of nations. It further suggests that colonialism is a significant aspect of this pervasive evil as represented most concretely and most treacherously in the restavek experience. Justice, a notion which emerges out of suffering, ensues as the ultimate concern of the Haitian people. Going beyond justice as retribution and beyond the mere satisfaction of some pre-established norm, this approach to justice is reimagined as openness and participatory action in the phenomenon of encounter. In this form, it offers the hope of overcoming the pervading evil. A crucial first step is the construction of a new theological language based on the practice of justice.