It is with great pleasure that the Canadian Association of Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CALACS) announces the recipient of the 2019 CALACS Article Prize for Emerging Scholars:  Matthew Robertshaw for his article "Occupying Creole: The Crisis of Language under the US Occupation of Haiti" published in the Journal of Haitian Studies 24(2). 

The jury agreed unanimously on the selection of this paper for the second annual CALACS prize. The jury found that it was a compelling paper and a complex work of historical research. The paper responds to an important gap in the literature and is based on a strong research design that makes use of a variety of sources. It contributes to our knowledge of the history, literature and culture of Haiti, a country that is often overlooked by Latin Americanists. The paper has a broad appeal in that it integrates historical research with the study of language and literature. It should therefore be of interest to a wide audience of CALACS members.

Matt Robertshaw is a doctoral student in the Department of History at York University. He also holds a B.A. and M.A. in History from the University of Guelph. Robertshaw’s proposed thesis “The Two Haitis: Cautionary Tale or Postcolonial Epic?” explores Haiti’s role in the colonization and decolonization of French West Africa. He conducts his research in partnership with the Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on Africa and its Diasporas. He hopes that his work will contribute to the reevaluation of the non-West in this important aspect of world history.

The jury has also awarded an honourable mention to Manuel Larrabure for his paper, “Post-Capitalist Development in Latin America’s Left Turn: Beyond Peronism and the Magical State” published in the journal New Political Economy.

The CALACS Article Prize for Emerging Scholars is a new award intended to recognize and encourage talented junior scholars in the field of Latin American and Caribbean Studies. The articles were adjudicated by a three-person jury. The jury and CALACS would like to congratulate all nominees for the outstanding quality of their submission and thank them for participating in the competition.

 CALACS is a diverse and vibrant Canadian based international scholarly organization that promotes disciplinary and interdisciplinary research and teaching. The Association disseminates and mobilizes knowledge of Latin America and the Caribbean and their diasporas through networks and partnerships in Canada and abroad.