The quest for solidarity and reconciliation in Madagascar

Contemporary Malagasy society seems to be haunted by a number of related ideas: the importance of a special, Malagasy solidarity and an urgent need to create such solidarity for use within the political and social process, as well as the necessity for reconciliation, national unity, and a refounding of the nation.To better understand the current situation, I propose, it is necessary first to recall the cultural history of an often-emphasized Malagasy term and practice of solidarity called fihavánana, which developed in the 20th century into a major symbol of both the Malagasy past and modern Malagasy identity. Further, it is necessary to analyze the more recent trend towards the creation of state-embedded institutions of solidarity, grounded not only in a re-discovery of Malagasy values but also located within the global dynamics of formalization, institutionalization, and heritagization, and by the necessity of some kind of subversive adaptation of local ideas of solidarity by Malagasy actors to the external world, so as to remain compatible and recognizable partners on the international stage and within the politics of global peace-making