Formations and Relations of Ethnic Groups in Madagascar

在这一研究项目中，根据对马达加斯加三个族裔群体的实地调查，即中部高原南部的Betsileo人、马达加斯加西北部的Tsimihetty人和首都塔那那利佛东北部Alaotra地区的Silhanaka人，努力收集有关族裔形成的叙述和相邻族裔群体之间日常互动方式的具体数据。官方和半官方对马达加斯加族群的描述列举了这个大岛上的18至20个命名的族群。我们的研究旨在阐明这些命名群体形成的社会历史过程。我们的研究的一个重要发现涉及Zafimaniry的文化差异，他们被认为是Betsileo的一个区域子群体，从后者的主体。Zafimaniry的名字越来越多地被动员起来，以促进中央高原南部的商业旅游。这反过来又在Zafimaniry本身中引起了一定程度的种族隔离意识。Betsileo和Zafimanry的栖息地之间的生态差异以及随之而来的后者特有的文化特征增强了分化过程。我们研究的另一个成果是围绕Tsimihety、Sihanaka和Merina的土地所有权的历史进程，这说明了不同相邻民族成员之间的社会互动加强了民族意识。

In this research project, the efforts were made to collect concrete data of the narratives concerning ethnic formations and of modes of daily interactions between adjacent ethnic groups, based upon field-work among three ethnic groups of Madagascar, that is, the Betsileo in southern Central Plateasu, the Tsimihety in Northwestern Madagascar an the Silhanaka in Alaotra region northeast to the capitol of Antananarivo. Official and semi-official accounts on ethnic groups in Madagascar enumerate 18 to 20 named ethnic groups within this large island. Our research intends to ellucidate the socio-historical processes of formation of such named groups. One of the significant findings of our research concerns the cultural differentiation of the Zafimaniry, who have been regarded as a regional sub-group of the Betsileo, from the main body of the latter. The name of Zafimaniry has been increasingly mobilised in order to promote commercial tourism in southern Central Plateau. This, in turn, has aroused a certain degree of separate ethnic consciousness among the Zafimaniry themselves. Ecological differences between habitats of the Betsileo and of the Zafimanry and the consequent cultural characteristics specific to the latter enhances the process of differentiation. Another outcome of our research centered around the historical processes of land ownership among the Tsimihety, the Sihanaka and the Merina, which ellucidated the intensification of ethnic consciousness through social interactions between members of different adjacent ethnic groups.