The first meeting of my American Studies course was this past Friday. It was a time to explain my plan for the course and meet the students. I also planned a word association exercise. In groups students wrote down words that they associate with American culture and also words that they associate with Malagasy culture. They had some very interesting responses. Some students wrote “T.G.I.F” for American culture, which surprised me a bit, given that it is so idiomatic. Many of the Malagasy terms, they gave in Malagasy. They didn’t have word-for-word translations for many of them, but they were still able to give excellent definitions. We discussed the traditional steps that precede marriage in Madagascar. First, for example, there is the fisehoana, which literally translates as the appearance. In the fisehoana, the bride-to-be’s family asks very vague questions to the groom-to-be who must answer them. It is the beginning steps of the families meeting and being joined. The students assured me that the fisehoana was a difficult time for the man. After this is the vodiondry, which literally translates as the sheep’s rump. In the vodiondry, the groom-to-be’s family offers a gift of money as a sign of respect, to show that the bride-to-be’s family is losing something very valuable. I met today with some of my former students from Lycee Ambatofinandrahana (where I was a Peace Corps Volunteer) and they told me that the gift typically contains notes and coins of all denominations. It sounds as if more money can be added as well. In class Friday, I talked a bit about typical American weddings and the run-up to them. Students of Malagasy culture know that the concept of fihavanana is of central importance to the general Malagasy worldview. The students of course associated ‘fihavanana’ with Malagasy culture. If a poll was done, I am sure that Malagasy people would list it as one of the most central concepts to the traditional Malagasy worldview. There is no direct translation in English. It comes from the verb ‘mihavana’ which means to be friends or family. So, it sometimes gets translated as kinship but it is not kinship that is limited to any biological ties. The traditional idea is that there was a sense of fihavanana felt by all Malagasy. They were bound to each other, bound to help and support each other, in virtue of the fact that they were Malagasy, in virtue of the fact that they shared the same ancestors whose ways had been passed down for a long time. There was some discussion about whether or not the concept still weighs heavily in the minds of many Malagasy people. It is hard to say from my current vantage point, but there is no doubt the lack of progress and development the country has experienced since the coup d’etat in 2009 has strained fihavanana. I hope to have more to say about this later. Overall, it was an excellent first session. I was a bit shocked that the students showed no signs of any fatigue whatsoever after over an hour and a half of discussion. By the end of January, I am sure that they will learn a good deal from me, and, as I told them Friday, I am already learning a great deal from them.
Some Surprises
We arrived in Antananarivo, Madagascar's capital, safely on the evening of November 3rd. The flight was very long and very challenging with two small children, but everyone managed. After a bit of a false start in our housing search in Antananarivo, we moved into our long-term apartment last Friday the 11th. We couldn't have done it on our own. We had a lot of support from our Malagasy friends (Hoby, Davidson and Mendrika come to mind) and from the US Embassy as well. Of course, the entire thing, the months of planning and the execution of that planning, would have been impossible without my wife Emily whose patience, love and support are without peer. The internet here is now up and running, so I figured it was time for my first blog post in-country. Thank you (misaotra betsaka) to all those who helped us get to this point. It was not easy and we are still adjusting to life as a family here, but getting settled is a big step.
I applied for this Fulbright opportunity all the way back in August of 2015. If someone had told me at the time that the first lecture I would be giving at the University of Antananarivo would involving explaining how Donald Trump won the 2016 Presidential Election, it would have surely gotten a good laugh out of me. But here we are. And there I was, speaking to a roomful of about 40 Malagasy college students about how it all happened. I spent some time explaining the Electoral College and how it enabled Trump to win the election despite losing the popular vote. In Madagascar, presidents are elected by popular vote. The students and myself both seemed to be of the opinion that this is the best method. We talked about swing states and how Trump won all of them by an extremely thin margin. We talked of the strangeness of this election and the differences in the candidates. I noted that many people in American were shocked at how the level of political discourse has seemed to hit new lows, as exemplified in the debates. We talked a bit of the big controversies and I ended with some thoughts on Plato and democracy, especially his ideas that democracy is a dangerous form of government. It is dangerous, he thinks, because people who are not suited to making political decisions have the power to do so. I told the students that I myself did not think that Plato's ideal republic with political power held by a chosen few was the best form of government. Rather, I told them that his ideas are worthy of discussion because they indeed challenge us. And they come to mind at a time when people see America's democracy in a difficult situation. The students' questions were impressive and they seemed to have a good grasp on American politics, which is significant given that in general people in Madagascar have relatively poor access to information about world events compared with other countries. They wondered why American was so divided. I told them that the explanation was complex but noted that it involved two major factors. Some people seem to fear a more diverse and changed American while others embrace it. Also, and I think more importantly, people do not really challenge themselves in their political thinking. They consume news that validates what they already believe, causing the general American's thinking about politics to be rigid and lazy. The divide is no doubt real and it is hard to see it going away anytime soon. Students here wondered if there could be a coup d'etat. One happened here, of course, not long ago. A bit more than 7 years ago. I told them that the material standard of living was so high in the US, and that the military was so strong, that people would lack both the motivation and ability to pull off a coup d'etat. Overall, their questions were very good, their command of English was excellent, and their general knowledge of the world seemed quite good. They appreciated the fact that I spoke Malagasy to them and clapped when I explained to them that a large part of my motivation for doing this Fulbright was to come back to a country and culture that I love as a scholar. The first lecture was indeed nothing like what I expected. But that's how things seem to be these days.
Exchanging Ideas: An American Philosopher In Madagascar
This blog is all about exchanging ideas between American and Malagasy culture. "Mifanakalo hevitra" as they say in Malagasy. It is something that I have been deeply interested in since I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the village of Ambatofinandrahana from 2007-2009. After the Peace Corps I finished my graduate work in philosophy and earned a Ph.D. in 2011. Since then I have been teaching philosophy to undergrads, but I never stopped thinking about my friends in Madagascar or the wonderful culture and worldview of the Malagasy people that I learned so much about from talking with my Malagasy students and friends. I had the good fortune to be living in Nashville, TN from 2009 to 2013 while a cohort of some of the brightest college students from Madagascar were studying at Lipscomb University. So, the exchange of ideas continued and I made new Malagasy friends. Fortune shown down on me as I was awarded a Fulbright to return to Madagascar and teach American Studies and work with members of the Anglophone Studies Department and the Philosophy Department at the University of Antananarivo. Beginning in November, I will teach about American culture to students at the university and conduct research on the history of philosophy in Madagascar and how the general worldview of the Malagasy people relates to happiness and the good life. I am very excited and also very humbled by the opportunity to continue the exchange of ideas between these two cultures, and continue to explore the similarities and differences between American and Malagasy ways of thought. I'll record my thoughts on research here, make notes on my teaching, and catalog the adventures that Emily and I and our two small children, Grady and Marcella, will have in Madagascar.
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August 2022
- Aug 25, 2022 Reflections on 2009 Coup (written September 2009) Aug 25, 2022
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October 2018
- Oct 22, 2018 Ny hevitra tsy azo tsy amin’olombelona Oct 22, 2018
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September 2018
- Sep 24, 2018 Your Help is Needed Sep 24, 2018
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December 2017
- Dec 21, 2017 The Philosophy of Malagasy Culture Dec 21, 2017
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November 2017
- Nov 6, 2017 Tena isaorana be dia be ianareo rehetra Nov 6, 2017
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July 2017
- Jul 23, 2017 Izy roa lahy Jul 23, 2017
- Jul 21, 2017 Puzzling Proverbs Jul 21, 2017
- Jul 18, 2017 It's a Wrap! Jul 18, 2017
- Jul 13, 2017 Mpiara-monina Jul 13, 2017
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June 2017
- Jun 21, 2017 Resadresaka (Conversation) Jun 21, 2017
- Jun 10, 2017 What's in a Name? Jun 10, 2017
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May 2017
- May 26, 2017 Mbolatsara (Still good) May 26, 2017
- May 10, 2017 Mandehandeha (To go around) May 10, 2017
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April 2017
- Apr 17, 2017 Simeon Rajaona on the Authentic Malagasy Mind Apr 17, 2017
- Apr 4, 2017 Ny maha-izy azy (That which makes it what it is) Apr 4, 2017
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March 2017
- Mar 20, 2017 Sambatra tokoa izahay (We are blessed) Mar 20, 2017
- Mar 10, 2017 The Calm Before the Storm Mar 10, 2017
- Mar 2, 2017 Vita soa (well done) Mar 2, 2017
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February 2017
- Feb 18, 2017 Ndao hiantsena (Let's go to the market) Feb 18, 2017
- Feb 7, 2017 Tsy maninona (No problem) Feb 7, 2017
- Feb 2, 2017 Malagasy Time Conceptions Feb 2, 2017
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January 2017
- Jan 23, 2017 Philosophy Club Jan 23, 2017
- Jan 16, 2017 The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis and Shielded Subjects in Malagasy Jan 16, 2017
- Jan 7, 2017 Back to the Country Jan 7, 2017
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December 2016
- Dec 31, 2016 A Pause for Some Things Dec 31, 2016
- Dec 19, 2016 Fianakaviana (Family) Dec 19, 2016
- Dec 9, 2016 Omaly Tsy Miova (No Change from Yesterday) Dec 9, 2016
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November 2016
- Nov 30, 2016 Fotoan-gasy Nov 30, 2016
- Nov 23, 2016 Welcome Ceremony Nov 23, 2016
- Nov 20, 2016 A Special Kind of Kinship Nov 20, 2016
- Nov 16, 2016 Some Surprises Nov 16, 2016
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September 2016
- Sep 22, 2016 Exchanging Ideas: An American Philosopher In Madagascar Sep 22, 2016
Disclaimer
This is not an official U.S. Department of State website. The views and information presented here are solely those of the blogger, and do not represent the Fulbright Program, the Department of State, or any other entity.