Periodic Reporting for period 2 - DySoMa (The Dynamics of Solidarity on Madagascar: An Ethnography of Political Conflicts and Appeasement Strategies in the Context of a Pronounced Consens Norm) Reporting period: 2018-11-01 to 2019-10-31 Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project The scientific challenge set up by the project was to understand and explain the bias toward non-violence on the island of Madagascar since the 20th century. This hitherto overlooked turn from war to peace constitutes a marked contrast to theories on the origins of disorder in sub-Saharan African countries since Independence, and to current theories of war and conflict solution. The research aimed to explore the theoretically productive Malagasy “success story” for a critical investigations into explanations of conflict solution processes adding to the challenge to “Secure Societies” and to the managing of social crisis affecting “Europe in a changing world,” two priorities defined by the European Union.The particularities of the Malagasy turn from war to peace, it was elaborated as a main result, should be understood, quite surprisingly, as the involuntary side-effect of a new kind of valorization of what became perceived during 20th century as “old” or traditional, truly Malagasy values, including the normativity of “Malagasy solidarity” (fihavanana) – and not resulting in a conscious movement towards peace. An important conclusion became possible: The decision to engage or not engage into a cycle of mounting violence is not just the inevitable or automatic outcome of external conditions, but should be related to basic, interiorized norms and social practices. Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far Research focused (1) in a first-time ever research on the “Council of Malagasy Reconciliation” (CFM, i.e. “Comité de Famiphavanana Malagasy”, a 2013 founded, high-ranking, constitutional institution, based in Antananarivo, whose tasks include the mediation of acute conflicts on all levels on Madagascar. (2) Another main research topic were local strategies against insecurity. The eight periods of field work (one to two weeks each) in four regions (Bongolava, Vakinankaratra, Menabe, Antananarivo-Analamanga) focused on so-called village conventions (dina) and the development of a totally new phenomenon of vigilantism (the two groups Zazamainty and Lambamena) in central and western Malagasy regions. (3) A third main aspect of the investigation was aiming to elaborate the ongoing unique political dynamic on the national level, as an example of Malagasy conflict negotiation. Research focused in particular on the dispute between three main political opponents as the regular Presidential elections in November 2018 approached, including shifting political alliances, and several months of demonstrations. (4) Research on the historical dynamics of these main aspects flanked the field work, with a period of field work in Maurice (May 2017) to explore the impact and experiences of actors of the Indian Ocean Commission, a regional oriented international organization, strongly implied in past peace talks since 2009.Overview of main results: (1) The turn from war to peace on Madagascar since the 20th century, it was discovered, was the unintentional side-effect of a new kind of conservative impetus: the growing valorization and institutionalization of “Malagasiness”, i.e. of special Malagasy values and traditions of consent since the 20th century. “Malagasy solidarity” (fihavanana) and some other, similar ideas of mutual respect became, in an exceptional move, the normative basis of modern Madagascar, and pillars of national identity and pride. As a consequence, the possibility of a degeneration of conflicts into a spiral of violence is on Madagascar, until now, regularly interrupted – leading to a pacification of society. (2) The ethnographic evidence collected fits well in this overall picture: The CFM should be understood as the latest variant of the dynamic of heritagization, and of the institutionalization of the solidarity value. The political dynamics between 2016-2019, though, repeated again the well-established pattern of conflict solution strategies working against the cycle of physical violence since independence. Beyond the sketched particularity of a normativity of consent, though, the postcolonial state on Madagascar is as dysfunctional and “shadowy” as in many other African countries, as the quest of rural inhabitants and vigilantes for restoring public order and security reveals. (3) The Malagasy case study allows to suggest an important conclusion: The decision to engage or not to engage in a cycle of mounting physical violence is conditioned foremost by the normativity interiorized through socialization, education, and social practice.Overview of exploitation and dissemination: Scientific exploitation included working paper presentations of the ongoing research at three conferences, a lecture at the Indian Ocean Study Group at the Institute of Social Anthropology in Halle and the organization of two workshops (one respective at the universities of Antananarivo and Halle), with two working papers presented at each workshop. Publications include journal articles (one published, two in press, and two submitted) and a book chapter (submitted). A first draft of a monograph on the normativity of Malagasy solidarity and the turn from war to peace on Madagascar has been written, and a blog for the exchange with scientists and the greater public was kept. Dissemination activities include further four lectures at the International French school and the organization of two “Peace and Conflict talks” in Antananarivo. Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far) The various ethnographic foci chosen on Madagascar- on the CFM, village conventions and vigilantes, and the political dynamic in the context of the presidential election - were unique and allowed to gather original empiric data, as a base for developing new research horizons for the understanding of the Malagasy society. Beyond new ethnographic insights, the project results allowed to unveil for the first time explicitly a mighty dynamic: the Malagasy society is driven by a deep anxiety towards modernity, stipulating a conservative search for original Malagasy values. As these values, and the connected identity, are usually linked to social cohesion and mutual agreement, they paved the exceptional way towards a turn from war to peace, and to a society based upon the ban of physical violence as appropriate tool of politics. This case study urges to rethink the usual argumentation explaining violent conflict solution as caused by external or contextual conditions. Decisive, according to the Malagasy case, are interiorized rules of conduct, prohibiting or allowing or even prompting a cycle of violence.Potential impacts: The results generated urge to critically discuss current understandings of the postcolonial dynamic on Madagascar and in Africa, and of general theories of war, violence, and conflict solution. It offers therefore the possibility to develop – within science and the greater public alike - new perspectives on Africa, beyond the “inevitable” logic towards disorder, but on the importance of normativity and interiorized rules of conduct. This again, offers the possibility to rethink conflict solution mechanisms, important for maintaining stability and order, one of the priorities of the European Union. siginature-of-the-charta-of-good-conduct.jpg
