Abstract
This article examines the context of production, the content, and the reception of the book Ainsi parla l’oncle (So spoke the uncle), written by Haitian anthropologist Jean Price-Mars and published in 1928. The article maintains that, besides a nationalist interpretation of Haitian popular culture, the book makes important theoretical innovations that anticipate perspectives that the anthropology of the Global North would only adopt five decades later. The article discusses the contrast between the reception of the book, which circumscribes its interest to Haitian, Caribbean, and Afro-Atlantic studies, and the general relevance of its arguments, beyond these restricted anthropological fields. The article, therefore, argues that Jean Price-Mars should be acknowledged and claimed by the history of anthropology not only for the regional and thematic relevance of his work, but also for its theoretical contributions.
Keywords:
history of anthropology; anthropology of history; African diaspora; Caribbean