The next meeting of the American Society for Legal History will be held in Las Vegas from Oct. 26-29, 2017. The deadline for panel and paper proposals has been extended to April 3. Please consider submitting a proposal, especially if you have not yet participated in an ASLH meeting. The CFP is here. Some financial assistance is available for participants, especially graduate students, who need funding support in order to attend.
Author Archives: mghachem
Newton Family Singers “One Voice” concert April 9
Dear Boston-area friends,
I have been on a social media diet for the past few weeks that will continue into April but want to alert and invite you to our upcoming Newton Family Singers concert on April 9, benefiting the Best Buddies organization. We are seeking sponsors for the concert to support the work of Best Buddies; for more information, please see here, and for the sponsorship form please see here. Thank you very much for your support and hope to see some of you at the concert!
A short interview on my current project
A brief Q&A discussing my current research project and related issues.
The Jesuits in early eighteenth-century Haiti
Looking forward to discussing “The Jesuits, the Souls of Slaves, and the Battle for Saint-Domingue, 1720-1730” with the Boston College Legal History Roundtable this coming Thursday.
Libertarianism in History
The syllabus for version 2.0 of my MIT course on “Libertarianism in History” can be found here.
Keith Bakerfest at Stanford this weekend
Call for Attorney Volunteers at International Airports Outside the US to Protect Refugees and Travelers
The below request for help comes from a group of lawyers organizing at Boston’s Logan Airport in response to the January 27, 2017 executive order on travel/immigration. Please share with any overseas attorneys you know who may be in a position to help. Thanks!
URGENT: Call for Attorney Volunteers at International Airports Outside the US to Protect Refugees and Travelers
Friday evening President Trump issued an Executive Order that, among other things, bars entry for citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries for at least 90 days, suspends the US refugee program for at least 120 days, and indefinitely bans Syrian refugees from resettlement in the US. Over the weekend, a number of federal courts issued temporary restraining orders that block the enforcement of the Executive Order. More legal action is underway.
Attorneys volunteering at US airports need your help: we have been notified that many travelers have been denied boarding for US-bound flights, and others are not aware of the temporary restraining orders upon arrival in the US.
This is where you come in: if you would be willing to volunteer at an airport near you, please sign up using the linked form. We need volunteer attorneys who can distribute updated information to affected travelers, collect contact information for affected travelers departing for the US, coordinate with attorney support teams at US points of entry, and provide US-based attorneys with updates on conditions at departing airports. No immigration experience is necessary, we will connect you with other volunteers in your area, and we will provide you with documents, forms, and instructions on how to get started.
Here is the link to volunteer:
“‘No Body to be Kicked’? Monopoly, Financial Crisis, and Popular Revolt in 18th-Century Haiti and America”
Just out in Law and Literature: “‘No Body to be Kicked’? Monopoly, Financial Crisis, and Popular Revolt in 18th-Century Haiti and America.”
Here’s the abstract:
“Contemporary law and legal theory are resigned to the view that the corporation is a mere nexus of contracts, a legal person lacking both body and soul. This essay explores that commitment to the immateriality of the corporation through a discussion of the 18th-century revolt against the Indies Company in Saint-Domingue (Haiti) and British North America. Opponents of the joint-stock monopoly in these Atlantic settings believed, like critics of transnational corporate power today, that the company form represented a merger of wealth and power operating to subvert the liberties of disenfranchised outsiders. Financial crisis served to destabilize the fiscal and political environment that insulated the Indies Company from its critics, who took advantage of these openings by attacking the material embodiments of the corporation in the name of “free trade.” The 18th-century opposition to monopoly privilege suggests that corporate personality was neither dismissed as fiction nor accepted as reality, and that in some circumstances, at least, the corporate body could indeed be held to account for the sins of a person without conscience.”
Photos of a recent trip to Haiti (Part 2 of 2)
All photos © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016. Please do not reproduce without permission.
- A rocky opening in the hills near Bois Caïman once used by maroon slaves as an escape, now a Haitian national monument. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Inside the maroon slave refuge near Bois Caïman. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Painting at Bois Caïman marking what is believed to be the spot of the August 1791 ceremony. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Bois Caiman. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Another painting marking what is believed to be the area of the Bois Caïman ceremony. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- A beautifully restored Cap Haitien house. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Approaching the Citadelle. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Citadelle. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- A view from up high at the Citadelle. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- The aqueduct system at the Citadelle used to collect rain water. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- The upper central courtyard at the Citadelle. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Memorial at the Citadelle to Henri Christophe, who after his death was secretly buried there by his wife in an unknown spot. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Never used cannon balls on the rear flank of the Citadelle. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Citadelle, exterior wall. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- A 1742 French cannon at the Citadelle. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Sans Souci entrance. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Sans Souci from the front. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Sans Souci from behind. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Monument to the 1803 battle of Vertières, on the road to Haut to Cap near Cap Haitien. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Monument to Toussaint Louverture and the maroon slave at Haut du Cap near Cap Haitien. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- An 18th-century bridge over the Rivière du Haut du Cap, outside Cap Haitien. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- The iconic Oloffson Hotel in Port-au-Prince. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- A gingerbread house in Port-au-Prince. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- The National Library of Haiti, directly opposite the Bibliothèque Haïtienne des Frères de l’Instruction Chrétienne. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- The Bibliothèque Haïtienne des Frères de l’Instruction Chrétienne in Port-au-Prince (Saint-Louis de Gonzague), directly opposite the National Library of Haiti. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Just because I like the name of this librairie, in the Cul-de-Sac area near Port-au-Prince. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- The Faculté d’Agronomie of the Université d’Etat d’Haiti, Damien campus in the Cul-de-Sac area near Port-au-Prince, damaged in the 2010 earthquake and awaiting restoration. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Haitians lined up outside the new US Embassy building in Port-au-Prince, awaiting visas. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- A UN tank patrolling the streets near the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- The mountains near Saint-Louis du Sud. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- From Fort Saint-Louis on Île des Anglais, looking back towards Saint-Louis du Sud. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Inside Fort Saint-Louis on Île des Anglais, off of Saint-Louis du Sud. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- The old cistern at Fort Saint-Louis, Île des Anglais off Saint-Louis du Sud. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Fort des Oliviers, Saint-Louis du Sud (formerly Point de la Compagnie (des Indes). © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Fort des Oliviers, Saint-Louis du Sud. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- From Fort des Oliviers, looking towards the town of Saint-Louis du Sud. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- A recently constructed soccer stadium at Saint-Louis du Sud; no soccer balls for the children to use. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
Photos of a recent trip to Haiti (Part 1 of 2)
All photos © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016. Please do not reproduce without permission.
- Île de la Tortue. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- In the foreground, the Petite Anse side of the bay of Cap Haitien. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- The bay of Cap Haitien seen from the north. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- The Petite Anse side of bay of Cap Haitien
- Le Cap. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Sunrise over Le Cap. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Le Cap at dusk. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- The Cathedral of Cap Haitien. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Another view of the Cathedral of Cap Haitien. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- A street view in Cap Haitien. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Marché de Fer (the marketplace known as Place de Clugny in the later 18th century) at Cap Haitien, where Sunday slave markets were once held. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Another view of the Marché de Fer (the marketplace known as Place de Clugny in later 18th century), where Sunday slave markets were once held. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- The current Appeals Court of Cap Haitien. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- The former Jesuit compound in Le Cap, now a lycée. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- The site of what was once Government House in Le Cap (now a lycée building). © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- The head of a funeral march in Cap. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Place Montarcher in Cap. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Monument to Dutty Boukman at Place d’Armes in Cap Haitien. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Monument to Christophe in front of the Cap Haitien Hospital. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- The site of the old hôpital at Cap, now the office of ISPAN (Institut de sauvegarde du patrimoine national). © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- The former home of Anténor Firmin in Cap. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- A street view in Cap. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- The colonial prison of Le Cap, one of the few 18th-century buildings still standing. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- A view inside a cell of the old Cap prison. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- The colonial prison at Cap. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- The mairie of Léogane during the installation of a new magistrate. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Memorial to Queen Anacaona at Léogane. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Remains of an early 18th-century fort protecting Petit Goâve. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- Fishing boats at Aquin, in the south. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- A view of the town square and cathedral of Aquin, in the south. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.
- The shoreline at Zanglais, in the south. © Malick W. Ghachem, 2016.