Tsimihety Place Making, Knowledge Hierarchies and Intensifying
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Jenni Mölkänen Social and Cultural Anthropology Doctoral Program of Social Sciences Faculty of Social Sciences Opponent: Prof. Genese Sodikoff, Rutgers University, Newark Custos: Prof. Timo Kaartinen, University of Helsinki Pre-examiners: Prof. Andrew Walsh, University of Western Ontario Prof. Paige West, Columbia University Supervisors: Prof. Timo Kaartinen, University of Helsinki Dr. Anu Lounela, University of Helsinki Published by: Unigrafia, Helsinki ISBN 978-951-51-7166-5 (paperback) ISBN 978-951-51-7167-2 (PDF) Doctoral dissertation, to be presented for public discussion with the permission of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Helsinki, in Metsätalo, Sali 1, on the 7th of April, 2021 at 16.15 o’clock. Summary This thesis is concerned with the rapid rearrangement of nature and the intensification of land use in rural northeastern Madagascar. I argue that despite intensive efforts of imposed environmental conservation based on notions of biodiversity loss and deforestation, the Tsimihety, a group of swiddeners and rice and vanilla farmers, claim that their environment is a good and viable place to live in. This thesis weaves together an ethnographic account of how the Tsimihety interact and intertwine with environmental conservation efforts and how they transform and are transformed by them in a broader context of commercial interests in land. By focusing on three main themes, place making, knowledge hierarchies and political-economic schemes and values, the thesis shows how Madagascar has been defined as a hot spot of biodiversity conservation with its unique endemic animal and plant species and how the Tsimihety, who actually live in these environments, make sense and live with dynamics that they define as ‘strange’ or foreign. The thesis challenges simplifying narratives of the Tsimihety as an indigenous people living close to nature without modern technology. “This is a good place” is a Tsimihety statement of a good way of living that cannot be reduced into political-economic and technological schemes and solutions creating, for instance, new livelihoods, such as ecotourism. For the Tsimihety good life evolves through movement between places and to new places, subsistence practices and nurture work as well as living with relatives (living and dead) and strangers. Especially, in funeral rituals, the Tsimihety maintain and negotiate these values and highlight their autonomy. Moreover, the thesis notes that the places made by the Tsimihety, for example fields, villages or tombs, are not merely maintained by the Tsimihety because they are important for Tsimihety identity, but place making is a continuous and prospective process through which the Tsimihety are also willing to incorporate new crops and technologies into their social worlds. More recent political-economic restructuring processes resulting in the creation of markets and elevated living costs as well as working with and around powerful others, such as environmental conservationists, tourists and vanilla buyers, raise moral and existential questions about how to live well with others in places that the Tsimihety claim as theirs. Acknowledgements It has taken a moment to weave together this PhD. Along the way I have had an opportunity to meet, discuss and collaborate with several wonderful experts, colleagues, peers and friends who have adviced, questioned and encouraged to put the thesis together. First and foremost, I wish to thank people in northeastern Madagascar without whom this work would have not been possible. At first, I thank my supervisors Prof. Timo Kaartinen and Dr. Anu Lounela who have meticulously and kindly pushed me to think through my ethnographic material and data and relate them with ongoing theoretical debates. During the moments of struggle, Timo used to remind with the words of Prof. Anna –Leena Siikala, “tee omaa työtäsi” that with a very flexible translation means “carry on with your own work”. I have found those words very useful. Anu consistently highlighted that look at the fieldwork material, and asked what it is saying. I appreciate my supervisors for patience as I have had to think from different perspectives and through different discussions how to put this work together. Warmest thanks go to Prof. Paige West and Prof. Andrew Walsh whose careful and constructive comments pushed me to engage with new discussions and see the research material from another angle. I am impressed with their expertese and the way they were able to distill interesting and important themes out of the thesis. I am very glad that Prof. Genese Sodikoff has agreed to act as an opponent for the public defence. I thank my colleagues, Timo Kaartinen, Markus Kröger, Maija Lassila and Tuomas Tammisto, in Human ecology, land conversion and the global resource economy (253680) 2013- 2016 funded by Academy of Finland for intriguing discussions and comments for the preliminary drafts of this work. I thank Kone Foundation that has funded my project in 2010 and again in 2015. I am also greatful for Oscar Öflund Foundation who enabled me in 2016 to travel again to Madagascar to represent my preliminary findings for the people who are the focus group of the PhD. I give thanks for the teachers, colleagues and peers in the discipline of Social and Cultural Anthropology in the University of Helsinki who have provided me with insightful perspectives and spot-on advice for my work. I appreciate the doctoral seminar and visitor seminar of Social and Cultural Anthropology where it has been possible to ability to learn from peers and more experiences colleagues about their work and different discussions and topics in Anthropology. In more detail, I want to mention Prof. Jukka Siikala and the late Prof. Karen Armstrong, who supported my work in the very beginning, Prof. Sarah Green for providing me with careful comments for my drafts that I presented in the doctoral seminar, Eeva Berglund and Timo Kallinen for attentive and patient editing of one my articles, Tuulikki Pietilä for networking me with African researchers, Katja Uusihakala who carefully read and commented my several drafts, Tea Virtanen for chatting of everything in and outside anthropology and last but not least, Arto Sarla who has not only helped me with practical issues over the years but shared his extensive knowledge concerning different research coordination tasks. I thank Petra Autio, Agnese Bankovska, Tero Frestadius, Matti Eräsaari, Saana Hansen, Heidi Härkönen, Senni Jyrkiäinen, Annastiina Kallius, Anni Kajanus, Marianna Keisalo, Touko Martikainen, Suvi Rautio, Tuomas Tammisto, Aleksis Toro, Sonja Trifuljesko, Pekka Tuominen, Mari Valdur and Heikki Wilenius for sharing their experiences and support. I thank for the comments and conversation in the writing group with Henni Alava, Tuomas Järvenpää, Sonal Makhija, Liina-Maija Quist, Tuomas Tammisto and Heikki Wilenius. The political ecology study group with Markus Kröger, Mira Käkönen, Anu Lounela, Liina-Maija Quist and Tuomas Tammisto, was very interesting and helpful for this project. I have had amazing opportunity to work with Sarah Green and the Crosslocations, funded European Research Council Advanced Grant (No. 694482), and Trade, Travel and Transit funded by the Academy of Finland, research group with researchers Phaedra Douziana-Bakalaki, Viljami Kankanpää-Kukkonen, Samuli Lähteenaho, Carl Rommel, Patricia Scalco, Laya Soto and Joseph Viscomi, a photographer Lena Malm and cartographer Philippe Rekacewics. Thank you for your inspiring work. During the final years of my PhD I have worked in ALL-YOUTH project (312689) funded by the strategic funding of the Academy of Finland. I thank for the whole ALL-YOUTH group for a great and interesting multidisciplinary collaboration. More specifically I want to thank for lively discussions, all the good humour and practical as well as emotional support for this work Katri Dewald, Reetta Mietola, Marko Stenroos, Anna Suni and Reetta Toivanen and and for diligent collaboration and work Päivi Honkatukia, Jenni Kallio, Miia Lähde and Annika Valtonen. I thank the project intern Otava Ojanperä for her careful work and help with the references of my PhD. I thank for Dr. Albion M. Butters for his careful and excellent work with language and smooth and respectful attitude towards one’s text. I am deeply grateful for Malagasy specialists and experts who have kindly advised and helped me: Maurice Bloch, Margaret Brown, Gwyn Campbell, Jennifer Cole, Lisa Gezon, Sarah Gould, Christian Kull, Eva Keller, Susan Kus, Rheyna Laney, Michael Lambek, Pier Larson, Hilde Nielssen, Jacques Pollini, Genese Sodikoff and Andrew Walsh. In Finland, I thank Madagascar specialists, Mar Cabeza, the late Ilkka Hanski, Jukka Lehtonen and Aili Pyhälä for their advices and recommendations. I thank people in Dodo ry for their interest and comments for this work. In Madagascar, I am thankful for collaboration with the ESSA-Forêts institute in the University of Antananarivo who accepted me as an exchange student in 2011 and guided me in the beginning of my research. Dr. Bruno Ramanmonjisoa, Mme Sahondra Raherimanantsoa and Dr. Zo Rabemananjara, thank you for your collaboration. I thank Mme Toto for excellent lunch at the institute. I cherish the collaboration with Mieja Razafindrakoto who did excellent work with ecotourism questionnaires and was nice to work with. Moreover, I thank National Archives (Archives Nationales de Madagascar), Malagasy Academy (Academié malgasche) and IRD (L’Institut de recherche pour le développement)