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Introduction

Introduction INTRODUCTION BY KAREN MIDDLETON Some 1,600 km long, lying off the east coast of Africa, Madagascar has been dubbed a 'little continent' or 'not an island, but an archi- pelago' (Covell, 1987: 9) on account of its immense diversity and great size. The striking variety of its landscapes, ranging from rainforest through savannah to sub-arid zones, is matched by a complex array of religious and socio-cultural practice, encompassing politico-historical traditions as diverse as the C 19th kingdom of Imerina, one of the largest indigenous states to have developed in sub-Saharan Africa, and peo- ples who have elaborated an egalitarian ethos in conscious rejection of hierarchy (e.g. Wilson, 1992; Astuti, 1995b). And yet there is a sense of a 'Malagasy culture' or 'pan-Malagasy themes' (e.g. Mack, 1986; Southall, 1986).' Like all so-called 'culture areas,' then, Madagascar poses problems for the scholar: of acknowledging what is held in com- mon while not obscuring the very real differences that exist. The six essays in this and the following issue, I think, will give the reader a fair sense of an island whose peoples, both literally and metaphorically, share one language, but speak in many different dialects. It is often said that http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Religion in Africa Brill

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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 1997 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0022-4200
eISSN
1570-0666
DOI
10.1163/157006697X00135
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

INTRODUCTION BY KAREN MIDDLETON Some 1,600 km long, lying off the east coast of Africa, Madagascar has been dubbed a 'little continent' or 'not an island, but an archi- pelago' (Covell, 1987: 9) on account of its immense diversity and great size. The striking variety of its landscapes, ranging from rainforest through savannah to sub-arid zones, is matched by a complex array of religious and socio-cultural practice, encompassing politico-historical traditions as diverse as the C 19th kingdom of Imerina, one of the largest indigenous states to have developed in sub-Saharan Africa, and peo- ples who have elaborated an egalitarian ethos in conscious rejection of hierarchy (e.g. Wilson, 1992; Astuti, 1995b). And yet there is a sense of a 'Malagasy culture' or 'pan-Malagasy themes' (e.g. Mack, 1986; Southall, 1986).' Like all so-called 'culture areas,' then, Madagascar poses problems for the scholar: of acknowledging what is held in com- mon while not obscuring the very real differences that exist. The six essays in this and the following issue, I think, will give the reader a fair sense of an island whose peoples, both literally and metaphorically, share one language, but speak in many different dialects. It is often said that

Journal

Journal of Religion in AfricaBrill

Published: Jan 1, 1997

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