Political oratory and cartooning : an ethnography of democratic processes in Madagascar

Jackson traces the lively skirmishes between Madagascar’s political cartoonists and politicians whose cartooning and public oratory reveal an ever-shifting barometer of democracy in the island nation. * The first anthropological study of the role of language and rhetoric in reshaping democracy * Maps the dynamic relationship between formalized oratory, satire, and political change in Madagascar * A fascinating analysis of the extraordinary Ciceronian features of kabary, a style of formal public oratory long abandoned in the West * Documents the management by United States Democrat campaign advisors of a foreign presidential bid, unprecedented in the post-colonial era Content: Chapter 1 Introduction: “Look Out! The Sleeping Locusts Awake” (pages 1–17): Chapter 2 A History of Language and Politics in Madagascar (pages 18–64): Chapter 3 The Structural and Social Organization of Kabary Politika (pages 65–91): Chapter 4 The Structural and Social Organization of Kisarisary Politika (Political Cartooning) (pages 92–116): Chapter 5 Building Publics through Interanimating and Shifting Registers (pages 117–156): Chapter 6 “Stop Acting Like a Slave”: The Ideological and Aesthetic Dimensions of Syntax and Register in Political Kabary and Political Cartooning (pages 157–192): Chapter 7 “That's What You Think”: Arguing Representations of Truth in Language (pages 193–213): Chapter 8 Conclusion: The Constraints and Possibilities of Democracy (pages 214–240): Political Oratory and Cartooning An Ethnography of Democratic Processes in Madagascar “Insightful, detailed, and substantial, this book has much to say to students of language and followers of politics, not to mention those of us passionate about both and how they interact.” Virginia R. Dominguez, Gutgsell Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign “Why don't more people write books like this? Jennifer Jackson's brilliant insights on Malagasy cartooning, oratory, and political culture are not only a breath of fresh air for the anthropological study of political language, but a genuinely creative contribution to the study of global democracy.” David Graeber, Goldsmiths, University of London Called kabary in the island nation of Madagascar, political oratory jostles with political cartoon satire in competing for public attention and shaping opinion. The apparent simplicity of these modes of political commentary conceals nuanced subtleties, which inform the constantly evolving landscape of politics. Linguistic anthropologist Jennifer Jackson offers an original semiotic analysis of the formative social role played by these narratives in Madagascar's polity. Though political orators and cartoonists rarely come face to face, their linguistic skirmishing both reflects and informs the political process, deploying rhetorical devices that have significant impacts on the vernacular political culture, its language and publics. This new ethnography examines the dynamic interplay between past and new forms of oratory and satire and their effects in social, religious, class, and transnational contexts. Jackson assesses how far they mirror the vicissitudes of political agency and authority, especially under the leadership of President Marc Ravalomanana. The author shows how democracy must be understood as historically contingent, bound in a local and global accretion of social and economic relations, and always mediated by language.

Jackson traces the lively skirmishes between Madagascar’s political cartoonists and politicians whose cartooning and public oratory reveal an ever-shifting barometer of democracy in the island nation.

• The first anthropological study of the role of language and rhetoric in reshaping democracy
• Maps the dynamic relationship between formalized oratory, satire, and political change in Madagascar
• A fascinating analysis of the extraordinary Ciceronian features of kabary, a style of formal public oratory long abandoned in the West
• Documents the management by United States Democrat campaign advisors of a foreign presidential bid, unprecedented in the post-colonial era

Jackson traces the lively skirmishes between Madagascar's political cartoonists and politicians whose cartooning and public oratory reveal an ever-shifting barometer of democracy in the island nation. It is the first anthropological study of the role of language and rhetoric in reshaping democracy and maps the dynamic relationship between formalized oratory, satire, and political change in Madagascar Jackson traces the lively skirmishes between Madagascar s political cartoonists and politicians whose cartooning and public oratory reveal an ever-shifting barometer of democracy in the island nation.