Female Realm in the Nineteenth Century in Imerina Madagascar”
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UNIVERSITE D’ANTANANARIVO FACULTE DES LETTRES ET SCIENCES HUMAINES DEPARTEMENT D’ETUDES ANGLOPHONES MENTION EPDLE CIVILISATION GENDERING MONARCHY: FEMALE REALM IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY IN IMERINA MADAGASCAR Pour l’obtention du Diplôme de Master II Date de soutenance : 11 Avril 2019 FARANIRINA Zoée Brina Directeur de recherches : Professeur Claude FÉRAL 2017-2018 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to the people who helped to bring this dissertation to fruition. I owe much to my supervisor, Professor Claude Féral, for the useful comments and remarks she provided to my work from the first draft to the latest version and my co-supervisor Mr Ramandimbilahatra Mox for his encouragement and guidance in the adoption of the historical approach of my research. I would like to thank as well Professor Casey Woodling for the helpful comments and suggestions he offered. I am so grateful to my parents who, despite the distances between us, kept careful watch over me and looked forward for seeing the completion of this work and my brothers who took the time to ask my progress. Finally, this dissertation would not have been possible without my friends, for their comments and encouragement. i ABSTRACT Giving an insight into female monarchy in Imerina “central highlands of Madagascar”, this dissertation shows how the succession of four women on the throne throughout the nineteenth century altered the political scene in Imerina; how gender was interrelated with the exercise of monarchical power. Case studies of the queens are provided alongside perspectives on female monarchy, evolving around the link between gender, marriage and succession in their queenly experiences. Considering female realm in Imerina through historical causation and gender lenses, this study firstly puts highlight on how the evolution of the succession system from the “fanjakana arindra” to a distaff lineage allowed Merina women to bear rulership. It puts as well an emphasis on the complexity of the caste system, namely the involvement of the Andriana queens in hypogamic “marriages” with Hova men, which was considered as a sacrilege at the time. The theoretical framework tackles the existence of the Queen’s two bodies in Imerina: the queens’ body natural affected their body politic. In other words, their “female sex” accounted for some accommodations in the Court’s politic and in their private lives as well. This theory emphasizes as well how the queens were referred to or self-represented as of “male sex” for reassuring the subjects on their ability to reign, notably in warlike position. Overall, this work shows how the Hova leaders created a certain “fiction” in order to legitimate female realm in Imerina which on the one hand led to their own rise and on the other hand to the exercise of a symbolic function for the queens. Key words: Madagascar, Gender, Female monarchy, caste system, Imerina, marriage, queens, nineteenth century. ii RESUME Cette étude a pour but de découvrir comment l’accession de quatre femmes au trône le long du dix-neuvième siècle a affecté la scène politique en Imerina. Plus précisément, notre but est de montrer l’interrelation entre le genre et l’exercice du pouvoir monarchique. Les reines sont utilisées comme études de cas et sont confrontées aux théories sur les règnes féminins qui gravitent autour du lien entre le genre, le mariage et la succession. Considérer la monarchie au féminin en Imerina met en exergue la manière dont l’évolution du système de succession - du « fanjakana arindra » à la dynastie matrilinéaire - a permis à une femme de régner. Cette étude met également en évidence la complexité du système de castes, notamment la controverse sur le mariage hypogamique des reines Andriana avec des chefs Hova ou « hommes libres ». En outre, les recherches ont montré que la théorie des « deux corps de la Reine » s’est avérée applicable à la monarchie Merina dans le sens où leur corps naturel affectait leur corps politique. En d’autres mots, leur féminité a été le facteur de compromis au sein de la Cour ainsi que dans leur vie privée. Cette théorie met aussi en exergue comment les reines ont été représentées ou se représentaient elles-mêmes comme étant de « sexe masculin » pour rassurer les sujets sur leur capacité à régner, plus particulièrement dans le domaine militaire. En tout, cette étude montre comment les chefs Hova ont créé une certaine fiction afin de légitimer la monarchie au féminin et a ainsi mené vers leur propre ascension d’un côté et de l’autre côté vers une fonction symbolique des reines. Mots-clés: Madagascar, genre, monarchie au féminin, système de caste, Imerina, mariage, reines, dix-neuvième siècle. iii FINTINA Nisy akony teo amin’ny sehatra politika teto Imerina ny fahatongavan’ny mpanjakavavy efatra nifanesy teo amin’ny fitondrana nandritra ny taonjato faha- siviambinifolo. Ny traikefa sy fiainan’ireo mpanjakavavy ireo nandritra ny naha teo amin’ny fitondrana azy no hadihadiana atao mifanandrina amin’ny teoria samihafa izay narafitry ny manampahaizana momba ny fanjakana vehivavy. Ity fikarohana ity dia mampisongadina ny fivoaran’ny lalàna momba ny fifandimbiasan’ny mpanjaka teto Imerina ka nanome lalana ahafahan’ny vehivavy mandimby ny satroboninahitra. Manaraka izany, manamafy ihany koa izy ity ny amin’ny antanantohatra eo amin’ny fiarahamonina izay nahatonga resabe teo amin’ny fifanambadian’ny mpanjakavavy Andriana sy ny lehibe Hova izay nolazaina ho fandikana ny lalàna nandrindra ny fiarahamonina Merina tamin’izany fotoana. Teo amin’ny sehatra teorika dia hita fa afaka ampiharina amin’ny fanjakana teto Imerina ny teorian’ny “the Queen’s two bodies” na koa “ny vatana roa an’ny mpanjakavavy” : ny vatana natoraly maha vehivavy azy ireo dia nisy fiantraikany teo amin’ny vatana politika maha-mpanjaka ka nitarika fanovana teo anivon’ny fitantanana ny fanjakana izay tsy afa-misaraka amin’ny fiainan’izy ireo manokana. Ity teoria ity ihany koa dia mampiseho fa natao hoe “lehilahy” ireo mpanjakavavy mba ho fanomezan-toky ny vahoaka ny amin’ny fahaizan’izy ireo mitondra fanjakana indrindra raha misy ady manambana. Ity asa ity araka izany dia mampiseho ny fomba nataon’ireo lehibe Hova ka nahatonga azy ireo teny antampon’ny fahefana ary nahatonga ireo mpanjakavavy hitana andraikitra sarisariny teo amin’ny fanjakana. Teny manan-danja: Madagasikara, fanjakana vehivavy, rafitra antanantohatra, Imerina, fanambadiana, mpanjakavavy, taonjato faha-siviambinifolo. iv LIST OF PHOTOS Photo 1: Rasoherina .............................................................................................................. 62 Photo 2: Ranavalona II........................................................................................................... 68 Photo 3: Ranavalona III ......................................................................................................... 74 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Genealogy of the Merina queens Ranavalona I, Rasoherina, Ranavalona II and Ranavalona III ........................................................................................................................ 48 Figure 2: Genealogy of Queen Ranavalona III ..................................................................... 78 vi LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A: A letter from General Joseph Gallieni to Queen Ranavalona III on February 27th 1897 ............................................................................................................................... 108 Appendix B: The famous and supposedly unique photo of Ranavalona I ............................. 109 Appendix C: Queen Rasoherina............................................................................................. 110 Appendix D: Queen Ranavalona II ........................................................................................ 111 Appendix E: Queen Ranavalona III ....................................................................................... 112 vii GLOSSARY OF MALAGASY TERMS Ambaniandro: literally “those under the sun”; another term for Merina Andriana: Sovereign; the most superior caste in the society Andevo: Slave; the lowest caste in the society Fandroana: Royal Bath Fanjakana: Government; Kingdom Fanjakana arindra: Two-stage succession Fanjakan-dehilahy: Literally kingdom of men; male supremacy Fisehoana: The new monarch’s first appearance Hasina: Essence of purity and virtue which aspires respect Hova: The second caste in the social hierarchy; the whole Merina ethnic group Kabary: Public speech Manjaka: Reigning Mpitaiza Andriana: the Queen’s lovers Mpitana: guardians of royal fetishes Sampimasina: Sacred fetishes Sampy: Fetish Taha: A sum offered to a woman in case of repudiation or polygamy Tangena: Test by poison Tsy maty manota: Immunity to death penalty Vadibe: senior wife Vazimba: The most remote inhabitants of Merina historiography viii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................... i ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................... ii RESUME ............................................................................................................................... iii FINTINA................................................................................................................................ iv LIST OF PHOTOS ................................................................................................................ v LIST