1913: The Haitian physician and intellectual J. C. Dorsainvil (Justin Chrysostome Dorsainvil) published his seminal work, Voodoo et névrose, which marked the first systematic attempt to analyze Vodou through the lens of Western science.

1913: the Haitian physician and intellectual J. C. Dorsainvil (Justin Chrysostome Dorsainvil) published his seminal work, Voodoo et névrose, which marked the first systematic attempt to analyze Vodou through the lens of Western science. Drawing heavily on the theories of French psychologist Pierre Janet, Dorsainvil characterized spirit possession as a form of “racial psychoneurosis” or a dissociative state. He argued that the religious ecstasy and trances observed in Vodou were manifestations of a collective psychological predisposition shaped by the trauma of slavery and colonial history. Central to his thesis was the belief that the Haitian “mentality” was an inextricable blend of its African origins, specifically Dahomean (Fon) influences, and the subsequent environment of the Caribbean. Dorsainvil utilized philological and historical evidence to link the Haitian pantheon directly to West African roots, asserting that these ancestral legacies formed the bedrock of the national subconscious. By framing Vodou as a psychological phenomenon, he sought to defend Haitian culture against foreign charges of “savagery” by providing it with a rational, albeit medicalized, explanation. Although his “neurosis” theory was later contested by peers like Jean Price-Mars, his work remains a foundational text in the ethnological movement that elevated the study of African heritage in the Americas. (Dorsainvil, J. C. (1913). Voodoo et névrose. Port-au-Prince: Imprimerie La Presse.)