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
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.
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.
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.