Slavery and Essentialism in Highland Madagascar: Ethnography, History, Cognition

This book explores the prejudice against slave descendants in highland Madagascar and its persistence more than a century after the official abolition of slavery. Prejudice is rooted in psychological essentialism, with free descendants thinking that slaves have a 'dirty essence that is impossible to cleanse. Regnier's field experiments question the widely accepted idea that the social stigma against slavery is a legacy of pre-colonial society.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 194 pages
\n Publication date: 11 December 2020
\n Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
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This captivating book delves into the deep-rooted prejudice against slave descendants in the highland regions of Madagascar, a phenomenon that persists more than a century after the official abolition of slavery. The term "unclean people" is a pervasive expression used in these areas, referring to individuals of alleged slave descent who face discrimination on a daily basis and in various forms. Author Denis Regnier sheds light on the underlying reasons for this prejudice, revealing that it is deeply rooted in psychological essentialism. Free descendants, according to Regnier, hold the belief that "slaves possess a 'dirty essence' that is impossible to cleanse." To challenge this widely accepted notion, Regnier conducts groundbreaking field experiments that challenge the notion that the social stigma against slavery is a legacy of pre-colonial society. Instead, he argues that the essentialist view of slaves as "forever unchangeable" is a product of the historical process triggered by the colonial abolition of slavery. In pre-abolition times, slaves could be cleansed through ritual means, but the abolition of slavery transformed them only superficially into free persons. Their inner essence, however, remained unchanged, and it was gradually constructed as "forever unchangeable" through social and cultural processes.

This insightful volume will appeal to scholars in anthropology, African studies, development studies, cultural psychology, and those interested in examining the enduring legacy of slavery. Through meticulous fieldwork, Regnier provides a comprehensive analysis of the prejudice faced by slave descendants in highland Madagascar, offering valuable insights into the complex interplay of history, culture, and psychology. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the ongoing challenges of discrimination and the complex processes that shape social identities.

\n Weight: 380g\n
Dimension: 223 x 143 x 19 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781350102477\n \n