Structural Violence as Social Practice: Haitian Agricultural Workers, Anti-Haitianism, and Health in the Dominican Republic

Abstract

Understanding the structural obstacles people face with regard to health has become an important area of intellectual and practical concern, particularly with vulnerable populations in low-income countries. This article documents some of the experiences of a little-documented, vulnerable population—Haitian agricultural workers, or braceros, on the bateyes (primarily Haitian communities) of the Cibao region of the Dominican Republic. The qualitative data presented here draw from a sample of Haitian agricultural workers (N=370) living in six different batey communities. Geographic segregation, access to transportation, occupational and environmental health challenges, and negative treatment by doctors and other health professionals—all expressions of structural violence—emerged as salient impediments to health and well-being. Structural violence, especially through the mechanism of anti-Haitianism, works to both create environments that undermine the well-being of Haitian agricultural workers and, when seeking treatment, can limit opportunities for access to care.