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Haiti The Upper Class
In the 1980s, Haiti's upper class constituted as little
as 2
percent of the total population, but it controlled about
44
percent of the national income. The upper class included
not only
the traditional elite, which had not controlled the
government
for more than thirty years, but also individuals who had
become
wealthy and powerful through their connections with the
governments of François Duvalier and his son, Jean-Claude
Duvalier. Increased access to education helped carry some
individuals into the ranks of the upper class. Others were
able
to move upward because of wealth they accrued in industry
or
export-import businesses.
The traditional elite held key positions in trade,
industry,
real estate, and the professions, and they were identified
by
membership in "good families," which claimed several
generations
of recognized legal status and name. Being a member of the
elite
also required a thorough knowledge of cultural
refinements,
particularly the customs of the French. Light skin and
straight
hair continued to be important characteristics of this
group.
French surnames were common among the mulatto elite, but
increased immigration from Europe and the Middle East in
the late
nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries had
introduced
German, English, Danish, and Arabic names to the roster.
The only group described as an ethnic minority in Haiti
was
the "Arabs," people descended from Syrian, Lebanese, and
Palestinian traders who began to arrive in Haiti and
elsewhere in
the Caribbean in the late nineteenth century. From their
beginnings, as itinerant peddlers of fabrics and other dry
goods,
the Arabs moved into the export-import sector, engendering
the
hostility of Haitians and foreign rivals. Nevertheless,
the Arabs
remained. Many adopted French and Creole as their
preferred
languages, took Haitian citizenship, and integrated
themselves
into the upper and the middle classes. Formerly spurned by
elite
mulatto families and excluded from the best clubs, the
Arabs had
begun to intermarry with elite Haitians and to take part
in all
aspects of upper-class life, including entry into the
professions
and industry.
Data as of December 1989
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