Anténor Firmin
Joseph-Anténor Firmin (1850 - 1911), better known as simply Anténor Firmin, was a Haitian anthropologist, journalist, and politician. Firmin is best known for his book De l'Égalité des Races Humaines (English: On the Equality of Human Races), which was published as a rebuttal to French writer Count Arthur de Gobineau's work Essai sur l'inegalite des Races Humaines (English: Essay on the Inequality of Human Races). Gobineau's book asserted the superiority of the Aryan race and the inferiority of blacks and other people of color. Firmin's work argued the opposite, that "all men are endowed with the same qualities and the same faults, without distinction of color or anatomical form. The races are equal" (pp. 450).
Born in Cap-Haïtien, Firmin worked in teaching, politics, and diplomacy. He founded Le Messager du Nord, a political and literary publication.
Selected works
- De l'Égalité des Races Humaines - published 1885
- Haïti et la France - published 1891
- Une Défense - published 1892
- Diplomate et Diplomatie - published 1898
- M. Roosevelt, Président des Etats-Unis et la République d'Haïti - published 1905
- Lettres de Saint-Thomas - published 1910
References
- Schutt-Ainé, Patricia, Staff of Librairie Au Service de la Culture (1994). Haiti: A Basic Reference Book. Miami, Florida: Librairie Au Service de la Culture, p. 95. ISBN 0-9638599-0-0.
Categories
1850 births | 1911 deaths | Haitian anthropologists | Haitian educators | Haitian journalists | Haitian politicians