“Haitian Habits” or Occupation Policies?: Harris Lifschitz and the Unevenness of State Building in Haiti, 1898–1921

Abstract

This article employs the case of Harris Lifschitz, a US citizen who amassed wealth in Haiti from 1898 until his 1921 murder, to explore US imperialism in Haiti. First, Lifschitz illustrates foreigners’ ability to transition from informal imperialism before the occupation to more lucrative activities under US control. Second, he reveals the occupation’s uneven process of state building. Despite centralization, areas of local autonomy remained and property titles were poorly administered. Lifschitz despoiled Haitians through a combination of his aggressive use of Haitian courts, which functioned outside US control, his exploitation of the occupation’s weak land administration and the occupation’s penchant for enforcing laws with strict efficiency. Third, he illustrates the need to transcend stark categories of occupiers and occupied. Initially, US marines accused Lifschitz of Haitian-style corruption; Haitians saw him as an agent of empire. Later, Lifschitz employed the language and transnational channels of the opposition movement for his own gain, causing some activists to portray him as a martyr of US imperialism.