The Institute of Haitian Studies

The Institute of Haitian Studies (IHS) celebrates Haiti’s importance in the Americas as the first Black republic, as well as its historical, geopolitical, and cultural connections to the United States.

The IHS — the only one of its kind in Kansas and in the Great Plains region — was founded in 1992 and is housed in the Department of African and African-American Studies (Bailey Hall, Room 11).

We support and promote Haitian Studies by:

• Teaching Haitian Creole and Haitian culture
• Coordinating lectures and conferences about Haiti and related topics
• Making scholarly resources about Haiti, both online and in print, available for public use

You can learn more about Haitian culture, history, and art by exploring:

• A collection of Haitian Studies scholarly works in KU ScholarWorks, KU’s digital repository that contains research by KU faculty, staff, and students
• Our hand-picked online resources, including links to Creole newspapers, radio stations, and journals
• Spencer Museum of Art’s collection of Haitian art (pdf) 

We are affiliated with  the Department of African and African American Studies,  the Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies, and the Kansas African Studies Center.