Historical Dictionary of Madagascar
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Second Edition
(Historical Dictionaries of Africa)
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Rowman & Littlefield / Scarecrow Press (2005). (First Published 1995)
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Hardcover Book
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Text from the Back Cover
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Madagascar, widely known as "the great island," is located just off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, but in many ways it hardly resembles its mainland neighbors. Its flora and fauna are quite distinct, and the folkways and culture of its population are intriguingly different from those of the continental countries.
This revised and expanded edition of the Historical Dictionary of Madagascar chronicles the changes that have occurred over the past decade while still addressing the long and intricate history of the country: its earliest settlers, period of French colonial rule, and independence (with all its aspirations, failures, and renewed hopes). There is an extensive chronology; a broad introduction; hundreds of dictionary entries on significant people, places, and events, ethnic groups and religions, and economic, social, and cultural topics; and an in-depth bibliography.
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About the Authors from the Back Cover
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Philip M. Allen is a distinguished university professor, chair of foreign languages, and coordinator of liberal studies at Frostburg State University, Maryland. He is also a former foreign service officer in Madagascar and Germany, is the author of several books on the Indian Ocean, and has held three senior Fulbright lectureships, including one at the University of Antananarivo, Madagascar, in 1999-2000.
Maureen Covell is a professor of political science at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. She is the author of Madagascar: Politics, Economics, and Society and articles on Malagasy local government and foreign policy.
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Editor's Foreword from Pages xi and xii
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Madagascar is unique among African countries. Near the continent but not of it, the island has a population and culture formed from an intricate blend of African and Asian elements. The country's unusual flora and fauna are well known to the West, but there is very little information available in English on its often tumultuous political history. This historical dictionary will help fill that gap. In 2002, 42 years after independence, the Great Island acquired its most open, progressive administration. The current regime seems dedicated to the successful conversion of Madagascar's undeniable assets in land, natural resources, human talent, and energy into the fortunate prosperity that the Malagasy people deserve.
This second edition of the Historical Dictionary of Madagascar sheds much needed light on the precolonial, colonial, and postindependence history of the country, with an inevitable emphasis on politics. It also includes a substantial amount of information on the economy, society, and culture of Madagascar. Much of this is contained in the dictionary section, with numerous additions to the first edition, which was published a decade ago. The chronology has also been brought up to date, and the introduction provides an excellent overview. The bibliography lists further sources, both in English and French.
This second edition, by Philip Allen, builds on a strong first edition by Maureen Covell. Dr. Covell, professor of political science at Simon Fraser University, first visited the island from 1967 to 1969, when she did research on France and Madagascar for her dissertation on local politics. During her stay she encountered many future Malagasy leaders. She later wrote Madagascar: Politics, Economics, and Society. Dr. Allen, a distinguished university professor at Frostburg State University, also traveled to Madagascar in the 1960s, when he served as a political officer at the United States Embassy, with a second extended stay as Fulbright lecturer at the University of Madagascar, from 1999 until 2000. He is the author of Madagascar: Conflicts of Authority in the Great Island and Security and Nationalism in the Indian Ocean. It would be hard to find better qualified specialists, who not only have a mastery of the facts and figures but more importantly have developed an obvious affinity for this unique and fascinating country.
Jon Woronoff
Series Editor
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Notes
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- Number 98 in the series "Historical Dictionaries of Africa".
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