'Globalisation and the South-West Indian Ocean'
Not restricted to Mauritius, the seminar 'Globalisation and the South-West Indian Ocean' scrutinized almost all other countries in the region from various points of view. Several fascinating studies pertaining to Madagascar and La Réunion alongside the bulk of contributions on Mauritius past and present were featured there.
* By MARC R. SPINDLER
The present volume, Globalisation and the South-West Indian Ocean, includes the proceedings of the seminar carrying this title, held in Mauritius from 21 to 23 September 1998 1 and sponsored by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the International Institute for Asian Studies, the University of Mauritius, the Ministry of Art and Culture, Mauritius, and others. The occasion marked the 400th anniversary of the Dutch landing on Mauritius, calling the island and the first settlement there after their Prince Maurits.
The book's twenty-two contributions are arranged under three headings: I. 'The Dutch Presence in the South-West Indian Ocean', (subdivided into Dutch maritime history - Dutch Mauritius and the Dodo); II. 'Society, Economy and Culture in the South West Indian Ocean', again with two subdivisions (Socio-economic and historical aspects - Social and cultural aspects); and III. 'Contemporary Issues in the South-West Indian Ocean: Regional Integration and International Co-operation'. Five contributions are in French; all the others are in English. A good balance is attained reached between Western and regional scholars, each providing half of the contributions. A list of authors with some biographical data would have been useful, although it is true that some of them are well-known in the field and need no introduction.
Robert Ross (Leiden University), established historian of South Africa, gives a concise survey of the Dutch role in the history of the Indian Ocean. Narivelo Rajaonarimanana (CEROI - INALCO, Paris) briefly sheds light on the pioneering role of the Dutch (in the seventeenth century) in their collecting of data on the Malagasy language. Perry Moree (National Library of the Netherlands) offers a very short summary of his indispensable study, A Concise History of Dutch Mauritius, 1598-1710 (1998). Gwyn Campbell (University of Avignon) has become the point of reference for the economic history of the Indian Ocean and as such could not be missed in the seminar. His two well-researched contributions pertain to the major role of Madagascar in the slave trade before French rule of the island and to the process of regional integration in the South-West Indian Ocean. One of Rafolo Andrianaivoarivony's (University of Antananarivo)two very specialized contributions in the field of archaeology brings to light the 'seeds of globalization' (to use a beautiful concept introduced by Sandra Evers and Vinesh Hookoomsing in their preface) revealed by fragments of Chinese pottery dating from the ninth to the eleventh century, the heyday of Arab-Persian trade.
The sole specific contribution on the religious history of the region, in which the winds of globalization have blown steadily ever since, is that by Michel Razafiarivony (University of Antananarivo) who tells the story of the Anglican church in Madagascar and the Indian Ocean. Given the topic of the seminar, more contributions on global religious networks and influences in the region could have been expected. Other scholars address the complex and burning issues of ethnicity, creolization, and immigration in the Mauritius of past and present. Since the seminar was held (1998), dramatic developments have taken place, which naturally fall outside the scope of the present volume.
SANDRA EVERS
Roadside direction towards memorial.
One crucial subject in the history of the Indian Ocean area is indubitably the slave trade, far less known and explored than the Atlantic slave trade, most probably because it did not reach the same huge proportions. However, significant demographic shifts have taken place in the region, notably in Mauritius and La Réunion. This book hints at maroon slaves having virtually controlled parts of Mauritius and having finally forcing the Dutch to retire to safety before it was too late. Unfortunately, details about the social origin of the slaves who were brought to these islands are not disclosed. The geographical origin seems to have been primarily Madagascar. At this point, many questions arise: were the transported slaves already slaves in their place of origin? What was their social status? Into which age-range did they fall? Why were they sold to foreigners and by whom in the hierarchy of their own societies? How many were sold and how many simply kidnapped? The time has come to address these questions in order to understand the social logic of the slave trade at the point of origin more clearly. Some hints are given in the present volume, namely that even in 1885 parents were forced to sell their children in order to survive (p.97). In this case, slaves are treated as commodities.
In other cases, it seems that a particular group was making use of the system in order to get rid of unwanted elements, rebels, and disgraced elites, and reach a temporary balance of power within the group. Gwyn Campbell traces an apocalyptic picture of endless internecine wars between all the ethnic groups of Madagascar: Merina, Sakalava, Betsimisaraka, and Antaloatra, and suitably qualifies the royal gesture of 1877 setting free about 150,000 Mozambique slaves. The trade slave continued! Gwyn Campbell also mentions the role of Asians, the so-called Karana, in this business, before the French occupation. Regarding his footnote on p.95: 'The Karany are Muslims of Indian origin', he left me with a query. In plain Malagasy, the name 'Karana' does not connote a religious affiliation, but indicates a geographic and ethnic background. There are Hindu and Christian Karana, too. In addition, the spelling 'Karany' Campbell uses is however possible no longer common.
SANDRA
EVERS
Memorial commemorating first Dutch landing.
The present volume is indispensable reading for scholars and students interested in the Indian Ocean. The reference to globalization is probably too ambitious as most aspects of this process are not really discussed. Regional integration in the Indian Ocean zone is certainly more central in the approach. It would have done well to include a study of the present (geopolitical) strategies within the Indian Ocean rim. On this last topic, it will be necessary to wait for the findings of Jérôme Lauseig, a doctoral candidate at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Bordeaux. *
- Evers, Sandra J.T.M. and Vinesh Y. Hookoomsing (eds.), Globalisation and the South-West Indian Ocean, Leiden: International Institute for Asian Studies / Réduit: Mauritius, University of Mauritius (2000), 235 pp. ISBN 99903-73-01-9.
SANDRA
EVERSView from the ocean of Dutch landing site.
Note
1. Following the seminar, the Mahatma Gandhi Institute (Mauritius), the University of Mauritius, and the International Institute for Asian Studies (Leiden) concluded a Memorandum of Understanding.
Professor Marc R. Spindler is Professor Emeritus of Missiology and Ecumenics, Leiden University and University of Utrecht and Associate Research Fellow at the Centre d'Etude d'Afrique Noire, Bordeaux-Pessac.
E-mail: Marc.Spindler@wanadoo.fr