News Tip: Duke University Experts Available to Comment on Haiti Recovery
Rescue and recovery efforts continue in Haiti more than a week after the devastating earthquake that killed tens of thousands of people and left hundreds of thousands wounded and homeless. The following Duke University experts can comment on the history and politics of Haiti, the role of voodoo religion in Haitian culture, and the implications of showing graphic images of the destruction.
Categories:
Documenting the Devastation History/Politics Long-Term Effects of Disaster Aid Role of Religion in Recovery
Documenting the Devastation:
Thomas S. Rankin, associate professor of the practice and director of the Center for Documentary Studies. Specializes in photography, filmmaking and folklore. Rankin can comment on presenting traumatic images of the earthquake devastation to the public through film and photography. (919) 660-3613; tsr2@duke.edu History/Politics: Laurent Dubois, professor of romance studies and history. Specializes in Haitian history and culture; has written books on the region including "Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian Revolution." (919) 323-0958; laurent.dubois@duke.edu Deborah C. Jenson, professor of French Studies. Specializes in Haiti, Creole language and French colonial history in Haiti; author of the forthcoming book, "Beyond the Slave Narrative: Politics, Sex, and Manuscripts in the Haitian Revolution." (919) 381-8059; deborah.jenson@duke.edu
Long-Term Effects of Disaster Aid
Elizabeth Frankenberg, a professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy, is a sociologist and demographer who has researched the effects of the December 2004 tsunami in Indonesia. She can comment on factors that will influence individuals' survival, health and well-being and the potential impact of disaster assistance on the lives of residents years after the disaster. (919) 613-931; e.frankenberg@duke.edu
Role of Religion in Recovery: J. Lorand Matory, chair of Duke's African and African American Studies Department and professor of cultural anthropology. Specializes in African-inspired religions around the Atlantic perimeter and the role voodoo will play as Haitians begin to heal and rebuild from the earthquake. (919) 684-9923; j.lorand.matory@duke.edu