Chelsea B. Stieber

Chelsea B. Stieber is an Associate Professor and holder of the Kathryn B. Gore Chair in Nineteenth-Century French Studies at Tulane University’s Stone Center for Latin American Studies, part of the School of Liberal Arts. Her work focuses on Haitian and Caribbean literature, history, and culture with an emphasis on postcolonial discourse and colonialism.

Education:

• Ph.D. in French/French Studies, New York University (2013)
• M.A. in French/French Studies, New York University (2007)
• B.A. in French and Comparative Literature, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2006)

Research Interests: Dr. Stieber explores Haitian autonomy narratives, colonial and postcolonial histories, 19th-century Caribbean intellectual networks, and the interplay between literature and political movements. Her work critically examines French colonial universalism and Haitian resistance through textual analysis of pamphlets, newspapers, and revolutionary writings.

Recent Scholarship Trends: Her publications analyze how Haitian writers and activists used print media to counter colonial narratives, emphasizing themes of memory, vindicationism, and anti-colonial sovereignty. Her 2023 co-edited volume Haiti for the Haitians challenges Third Republic colonial historiography.

Awards:

• ACLS Fellowship (2020–2021)
• John W. Kluge Center Fellowship (2016–2017)
• Mellon Fellowship in the Humanities (2011–2012)

Academic Background: Before joining Tulane, she held faculty positions at Catholic University of America (2013–2023), advancing from Assistant to Associate Professor. Her research has been supported by fellowships at NYU and the Library of Congress.

Languages & Experience: Fluent in French and Haitian Creole, with extensive fieldwork in Haiti and France.