Dipartimento di Lettere e Filosofia

Global Humanities

Critical Theories and Transnational Cultures

Cultural Deracination and Hybridization

In the Malagasy Modern Society

Kevin Sautron
M. 2001893
Professor Mara Matta

Rome, April 22, 2022

 Cultural Deracination and Hybridity in the Modern Malagasy Society

Abstract

This essay will explore various theories, developed by different scholars, on the notion of
cultural deracination focusing on the case of Malagasy society. There is a tendency to study
Madagascar through geographic, socio-economic, and political lenses but there is limited
attention to its cultural dimension, in particular, the relation between colonial past and modern
Malagasy society. Unconsciously, the Malagasy do not always realize, that they are
experiencing dynamics of cultural deracination and hybridization as the local identity has been
continuously reduced to a one-dimension, in favour of the “European identity”. Therefore, this
study will discuss this issue by employing two different theoretical frameworks with two case
studies: one from a national point of view and the other will take a transnational perspective
(the phenomenon of migration to Europe).

Keywords: Deracination, alienation, language, migration, hybridity, Madagascar, cultural

identity, colonialism, mimicry

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 Cultural Deracination and Hybridity in the Modern Malagasy Society

Introduction

Madagascar, also called La Grande Île1, is located between the Mozambique Channel
and the Indian Ocean in the south-eastern part of Africa. Throughout its millenary history, the
country has been crossed by several Western and Eastern cultures that have strongly shaped its
cultural identity. In particular, Malagasy culture has been at the crossroads of African,
European, and Arabic, as well as Indonesian cultures that a contributed to the construction of
multi-layered identity. To this extent, Malagasy people, originally of Indonesian/African
descent, are living on this vast island, surrounded by their natural heritage, speaking the same
language (the Malagasy and its various dialects); living a unique and shared culture (Malagasy
civilization) and politically is known as Madagascar. However, the country has also seen 60
years of colonization in its more recent history, whose effects have deeply impacted Malagasy
identity and will be further analysed in this study.

In the context of colonization, the indigenous populations are the first witnesses of
cultural uprooting, also defined as ‘deracination’: separated from the cultural roots that have
nourished the local cultural identity, through displacement and ecological change brought by
an exogenous model or culture. Here ‘deracination’ refers to the tension established by the
contact with a different culture (déraciné in French). To better clarify the nuance of the
meaning of deracination, Frantz Fanon’s ‘Black Skin, White Masks’, correlated such cultural
tension with 'alienation', a dynamic in which the «non-white» attempts to conform to the traits
of the white man through foreign, mostly western ways of speaking, behaviour, and social
attitudes. This form of violence, often unexplained and misunderstood, turns against what
everyone has most precious and intimate: an ancestral sense of belonging. It cuts that link with
the local universe and creates deep existential anguish, and it is particularly aimed toward the
younger generation. To this extent, it has been argued that a reaction to such a form of
alienation is linked to hybridisation which is described as the creation of new transcultural
forms within the colonized society.

This study is precisely interested in the concept of hybridity and seeks to demonstrate the
extent it produces a shift in the cultural identity of a country, by attacking local structures of
meaning and perception of the other. Therefore, the orienting question of this research is about
how this hybridity manifests itself among the colonized Malagasy. In other words, at what
cultural level is hybridity more visible? The above-mentioned concepts of hybridity and
deracination originated as part of postcolonial studies that emerged in the 1970s and 1980s. To
this extent, post-colonial theories take a critical stance against European colonialism, and its
attempts and strategies to eradicate the local cultures of colonized nations. Frantz Fanon and
Bhabha are regarded as the main theorists of postcolonial thought. While the first is regarded
as the theorist of “alienation” the second scholar is recognized for his research on mimicry and
hybridity. Henceforth, we will see in the first part, how the Malagasy communities are radically
altered by the colonizer. Then, we will lead a case analysis of the colonized Malagasy both in
Madagascar and Europe on how this cultural deracination affects them.

1
A French nickname given to Madagascar means The Big Island.

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 Cultural Deracination and Hybridity in the Modern Malagasy Society

I- How cultural deracination occurs in Malagasy society: focus on Alienation

and Neo-colonialism in post-colonial studies

1. General Approach to Alienation

Frantz Fanon’s ‘Black Skins and White Masks’ (1952) has laid the foundation of
postcolonial thinking. In particular, in his work, he looked at the notions of identity and
alienation of the colonized black. He conceptualised colonization as of a violent nature, a
dehumanizing experience for the colonized peoples as well as a mechanism through which
racial and cultural hierarchies have been created, which needed to be addressed from both an
academic and social point of view. Even the personal history of Frantz Fanon reflects the deep
impact colonisation in native Martinique has had on his academic reflection. The society, in
which he grew up, has been contaminated by the exposure to European and more particularly
French culture, which established an important shift in the meaning given by the locals to the
colour of the skin, which he described as the “lactification” 2 complexes. Fanon summarized
this as the process in which “race must be whitened”. He looks at the affected Black local
communities and their relation to their skin colour and the resulting suffering they experience
in the contact with the colonizing power.

2. The Neo-colonialism: An alienating system?

The 64 years of colonization have left strong political, economic, and cultural traces in
Madagascar. Moreover, the current Malagasy society is experiencing what is called a
masquerade of independence; the country is suffering internally from continuous colonization
without really paying attention to it. After years of oppression and revolt, Madagascar became
“officially” independent on 26 June 1960. Yet the country remains under the total control of
France, especially in economic, political, and educational terms, despite its independence. In
post-colonial studies, this is called neo-colonialism, developed in Jean-Paul Sartre’s
Colonialism and Neo-colonialism (1964). In which, he analyses the relations between the
former colonisers and the 'decolonized’ states. Reviewed in the book of Fatouros, Neo-
colonialism is described as: “a current attempt (actual or alleged) of the developed countries
to dominate and control the ‘emerging’ states” 3. Therefore, the term has come to refer to all
forms of control exercised over ex-colonies after political independence.

2
Fanon, F. (1952) ‘The Woman of Color and the White Man’. Black Skin, White Masks. Ed.
de Seuil, Paris, pp. 33

3
Fatouros, A. (1965) ‘Sartre on Colonialism’. World Politics, Vol. 17, No. 4. Trustees of
Princeton University, pp. 714. Available at https://www.jstor.org/stable/2009329?seq=12
(Accessed: April 26, 2022)

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 Cultural Deracination and Hybridity in the Modern Malagasy Society

3. The methods of Neocolonialism in Malagasy Society: The language, a weapon for

dominating the country.

The binary logic of imperialism is a development of Western thought to see the world in
terms of binary oppositions to establish a relationship of domination. Thus, the colonizer,
civilized and teacher and physician may be opposed to colonized, primitive, and pupil, as
examples that emphasize this logic. To exercise its domination, to spread its culture, the
colonizer will educate the colonized guiding him towards civilization and modernity. Through
this, he uses different methods. First, he intervenes in education, school is a means for the
former colonial power to expand its cultural power. We can see this from preschool to
university using French methods of education. The national education system is therefore
closer to that of the colonial power, and the Malagasy language is considered a foreign
language. Culture is used by the former colonial powers to extend their influence over the
country in question. For instance, the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF)
and Agence pour l'enseignement français à l'étranger (AEFE) are located across the seven
regions of Madagascar. These French institutes aim to establish France’s cultural influence. In
Saïd’s theoretical analysis, it is called the Colonial Discourse 3. The theorist examined how
colonial discourse functioned as an instrument of power. Moreover, the colonial discourse is
strongly involved in the ideas of the centrality of Europe: the desire to dominate the world. The
transmission of this culture happens mainly through films, radio, and literature but the most
important weapon of the colonizer is the use of the language.

Language is an important means for the colonial power to strengthen its impact on the formerly
colonized territory. In Madagascar, the French language holds a significant place in society: it
is used at university, in literature, on television, in public administration etc. In sub-Saharan
Africa, over 15 to 20 million Africans are fluent in French, they are having French as an official
or co-official language. In addition, many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have languages
derived from French, for example, the Français Populaire Ivorien 4 or ‘the Nouchi’ is an Ivorian
language that reformulates words derived from French and creates new expressions. Likewise,
in Madagascar, the situation is called ‘diglossia’ 5 when both languages are in a sort of duality
that we come up later with the linguistic hybridity of Bhabha.

4
Appeared in the country at the end of the 19th century, the Ivorian popular French is the
oldest variety of French in Côte d'Ivoire. It is originally a kind of jargon used by the military,
administrators, or traders to communicate with their African auxiliaries. It is a mixed
language with rudimentary communication functions.

5
Diglossia or Bilingualism is the coexistence of two varieties of languages throughout a
speech community. Definition available at https://www.britannica.com/topic/diglossia

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 Cultural Deracination and Hybridity in the Modern Malagasy Society

II- Consequences of Cultural Deracination on the colonized Malagasy in

Madagascar and Europe: Hybridity saw under different perspectives

1. From a geographical point of view, Hybridity implies a double identity

This study is particularly interested in the migration of Malagasy minorities in Europe,

under the conditions in which the term hybridity is more expressed. In his work Reflections on
Exile: And Other Essays, Edward W. Said evokes this hybridity of being exiled and the
difficulty of living in. He says:

Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience. It is the unhealable
rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home: its
essential sadness can never be surmounted. And while it is true that literature and history
contain heroic, romantic, glorious, even triumphant episodes in an exile’s life, these are no
more than efforts meant to overcome the crippling sorrow of estrangement. The achievements
of exile are permanently undermined by the loss of something left behind forever. 6

According to Said, a feeling of loss, therefore, comes with migration and hybridity. Thus, the
migrant tries to remedy this by reproducing his native country in his host country. This
separation between two countries means that the individual is on a permanent quest for a
homeland. However, this homeland is fluid and vital space that constantly escapes the one who
requests it. This is what Homi Bhabha calls “unhomely” or the feeling of being homeless both
abroad and at home, so existing only in a third space, a space where both countries are mixed.
And I am a representation of this concept of unhomeliness elaborated by Homi Bhabha. A
hybrid postcolonial subject, I live between Madagascar and Italy, speak two languages, and
maintain a relationship between the two countries. I and other compatriots are trying to look
for Madagascar from Italy. The hybridity of the exile condemned him to a wandering life and
constant quest.

6
Edward W. Said. (2015) Goodreads. Available at:
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1337740-exile-is-strangely-compelling-to-think-about-
but-terrible-to (Accessed: April 22, 2022)

7
Homi, B. (1992) ‘The World and the Home’ No. 31/32, Third World and Post-Colonial
Issues, Duke University Press, pp. 141. Available at
https://www.jstor.org/stable/466222?seq=1
(Accessed: April 26, 2022)

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 Cultural Deracination and Hybridity in the Modern Malagasy Society

2. Linguistic Hybridity: The duality between the two languages

Language and accent play an important role in constructing and expressing identity.
Fanon notes that using a language means “to assume a culture”. So obviously, being cut off
from a mother tongue meant a loss of connection to one’s original culture. Indeed, the colonized
face a difficult situation where their native accent complicates their integration into the social
life in both Madagascar and Europe. Frustrated and to overcome its discouragement, the
stereotyped undertakes a mechanism of adaptation of a seemingly consenting identity by
imitating the French accent. Bhabha called this mechanism ‘Mimicry’. Being recognized but
not completely. However, the harmful effects that colonization has left, generate
depersonalization of the Malagasy individual struggling with identity issues. This
depersonalization is more visible while the mother tongue ‘Malagasy’ is dominated by a
foreign language that is French. The migrant tries to imitate the languages by mixing both,
what we also call Diglossia or Bilingualism as shown in this table. As we see here, the chair
has no original Malagasy word, it is a kind of derivated French word

Original Malagasy Hybridated French English

Sotrorovitra Forsety Fourchette Forch

- Seza Chaise Chair

Kitabo Sasé Sachet (plastic) bag

In contrast, the colonized never manages to perfectly reproduce the model so he imitates it.
Consequently, this phenomenon is particularly noticed through the dream of Malagasy
minorities arriving in Europe with the dream to speak French as their mother tongue. That
means by rolling the ‘R’ well and not switching the ‘S’ by ‘Z’, so in a way classier and chicer.
This brings us back exactly to the concept of alienation by Franz Fanon.

“Every colonized people—in other words, every people in whose soul an inferiority complex
has been created by the death and burial of its local cultural originality—finds itself face to
face with the language of the civilizing nation; that is, with the culture of the mother country.
The colonized is elevated above his jungle status in proportion to his adoption of the mother
country’s cultural standards. He becomes whiter as he renounces his blackness, his jungle” 8.

The author wants to point out the will of the migrant to adopt the new language of the receiving
country to bond more and more with the white community. As the author mentioned, the
migrant knowing the language is considered a ‘demigod’. The fear of “He doesn’t even know
how to speak French.” brows their mind.

8
Fanon, F. (1952) ‘The Negro and Language’. Black Skin, White Masks. Ed. de Seuil, Paris,
pp. 10

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 Cultural Deracination and Hybridity in the Modern Malagasy Society

3. Rationally, “The White is fascinating”

Alteration sometimes arouses astonishment, amusement, or even admiration. The

foreigner is known as Vahiny, a term used to describe the host or traveler in Madagascar.
This term appeared in the during the colonialism to describe foreigners coming from
European cities. In ancient Rome, the foreigner exists rather negatively, by its non-
participation to the civitas of the city. Among the foreigners, one distinguishes the externi,
more often the barbarians from the countries outside the empire. In a context literally
opposite, this vision of the foreigner has visibly changed with the expansion of colonialism.
Here, the foreigner is perceived as a ‘God’ in the colonized countries. Moreover, from the
colonization to the present day, whites are often ‘feared, mocked but also envied’ by the
Malagasy altered and ‘The White fascinates, the supreme dream of marrying a White’
shakes their minds. For instance, in the capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo, most of the
families are former bourgeois, they have shared a close relationship with Western
foreigners mostly French and British. During that time, they emerge their children to a
totally French lifestyle and considering French as their official language, and Malagasy as
the second one. In modern Malagasy families, from their young ages, children are trained
to speak the French language and learn to adopt the accent. Over decades, people tend to
consider this European culture as a unique model to follow; Having a close relationship
with them is a means of success in life.

Conclusion

References:

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 Cultural Deracination and Hybridity in the Modern Malagasy Society

French in Côte d'Ivoire: A Process of Nativization

Paulin G. Djité Vol. 79, No. 1, SYMPOSIUM ON AFRICAN LINGUISTICS

(March, 1989), pp. 1-8 (8 pages)

https://www.jstor.org/stable/24537001?seq=1