The Nineteenth Century Anténor Firmin was born in Cap-Haïtien on
18 October 1850. A renowned anthropologist, politician,
diplomat, and writer, Firmin remains one of the most influential
figures in Haitian history. Firmin was a leading voice in the
Liberal Party of the late nineteenth century. In 1883, Firmin
relocated to Paris, where, with the assistance of fellow Haitian
intellectual Louis-Joseph Janvier, he was accepted as a member
of the exclusive Anthropology Society of Paris. It was in Paris
that Firmin read Arthur de Gobineau’s notorious Essai sur
l’inégalité des races humaines, inspiring him to publish a
trenchant response, De l’égalite des races humaines, in 1885.
Although Firmin’s essay, grounded in positivist anthropology
shot through a historical lens, was disregarded by his European
anthropological peers at the time of publishing, it stands out
today as a remarkable work of anti-racist thought. Firmin’s life
and work inspired a younger generation of Haitian writers and
thinkers such as Jean Price-