ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter notes and laments stereotypical narratives that often represent Haiti in the media. The authors support the notion that Haiti needs a new narrative despite the destruction brought upon the country, exposed to various natural hazards, following the catastrophic earthquake of 2010. They raise the question as to whether anguish and beauty (hope) can co-exist in Haiti, in the words of Stanley Hauerwas, “without illusion or deception,” and they respond by capturing the stories of survivors through ethnography, in-depth interviews, from research journaling and from observations and the research literature. The chapter outlines the background to their research and to their arrival in Haiti in 2010, after the earthquake, what they found on the ground and how this became the inspiration for the research project they carried out between 2012 and 2015. Their aim is to present the experiences of Haitian survivors so that readers can understand an earthquake without illusion or deception. The anguish is historically deep. Nevertheless, there is a beauty that has been taught and honed by anguish and by religious faith. Finally, they set out a “road map” for the route along which the book will take readers.
