Marissa Joseph

Thesis Title: Haitianas: Uncovering Migration, Memory, and (M)others in Cuba's Post-Revolutionary National Identity

What Now: PhD Student in Black Studies at Northwestern University

When I first arrived on campus, I had no idea what the term “interdisciplinary” meant. I simply wanted to pursue a concentration that would allow me to explore questions about my heritage as Haitian-American that my previous educational experiences had foreclosed. History and Literature provided an environment that nurtured my curiosity and the opportunity to craft a course of study that truly reflected my interests. 

The summer before my senior year I traveled to Santiago de Cuba, Cuba to conduct research for my senior thesis, which explored how Haitian women migrants in the region shaped national struggles over race, citizenship, and belonging in post-revolutionary Cuba. This research experience was the first, but not the last time, I would learn that many of my subjects wouldn’t readily be found in institutional archives, as, often, the histories of underrepresented groups have gone overlooked, obscured, and erased. My training in Hist and Lit thus became essential as I found myself instead engaging with other forms of historical witnessing like performance, storytelling, and art. 

Hist and Lit’s interdisciplinary approach empowered me with the freedom to take seriously alternative forms of knowledge creation and historical memory that have become central to how I approach researching, writing and doing Black history. I continued to carry many of my questions, tools, and experiences born from my Hist and Lit coursework and my senior thesis through my current journey as a PhD Student in Black Studies at Northwestern University. 

Simply put, I would not be the scholar, historian, person I am (becoming) without History and Literature.