Abstract:

The present study explores the role of national identity and nationalism in Haiti’s development woes. An applied anthropological perspective is adopted as a way to assess the role of cultural factors to interpret the many challenges faced by international organizations in terms of promoting sustainable development in Haiti. Several development paradigms are explored and the case studies of Singapore, Guadeloupe, China, Cambodia, and South Korea are used to provide alternative models of national development. The paper concludes that Haiti’s nationalism and the cultural relativism of many intergovernmental organizations and non-profit organizations dealing with Haiti have focused on superficial aspects of development at the expense of developing the human capital the country needs in order to escape the trap of dependency and underdevelopment.