Professsor Robert Fatton, Jr.'s latest book, The Guise of Exceptionalism: Unmasking the National Narratives of Haiti and the United States, was published in April by Rutgers University Press. Dr. Fatton's book compares the historical origins of Haitian and American exceptionalisms. It also traces how exceptionalism as a narrative of uniqueness has shaped relations between the two countries from their early days of independence through the contemporary period. As a social invention, it changes over time, but always within the parameters of its original principles.

Professor Fatton is a former chair of the Department and a former Associate Dean of the Graduate School. He has long been a leading scholar in the field of Haitian studies, and has published extensively on Haitian politics. His previous books include Haiti: Trapped in the Outer Periphery and Haiti's Predatory Republic: The Unending Transition to Democracy.