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M adagascar's independence jubilee: a nation's holiday in times of crisis
Author(s) -
Späth Mareike
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
nations and nationalism
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.655
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1469-8129
pISSN - 1354-5078
DOI - 10.1111/nana.12019
Subject(s) - legitimacy , independence (probability theory) , politics , agency (philosophy) , state (computer science) , face (sociological concept) , government (linguistics) , sociology , population , public sphere , political science , political economy , law , economic history , media studies , history , social science , demography , linguistics , statistics , philosophy , mathematics , algorithm , computer science
The fiftieth anniversary of M adagascar's independence in 2010 took place in the midst of political crisis. The transitory government staged large public parties to mark the J ubilee. Despite a public discussion about legitimacy and justification of this fact, the national holiday was lavishly celebrated. In M adagascar, I ndependence D ay is also an important family event and emphasis was put on private celebrations including family feasts and reunions. As a result, it enhanced the participants' emotional attachment to their personal and local face‐to‐face milieu. This article asks how the golden jubilee was celebrated against a backdrop of political illegitimacy. I contrast official state‐led initiatives and individual agency in the private sphere and discuss how the national holiday has been appropriated and reinterpreted by the population as a family and community holiday. This article is based on qualitative ethnographical fieldwork in A ntananarivo before, during and after the peak of the independence jubilee.