Retour sur la dimension identificatoire de la musique de transe. Le cas des rituels sabo et rombo chez les Tandroy de Toliara, Madagascar

This article offers a redefinition of the identificatory dimension of trance music based on the analysis of possession rituals among the Tandroy in southern Madagascar. The identificatory value of trance music had been expressed by Rouget in semantic terms: the music would be the signifier of the si...

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Main Author: Élisabeth Rossé
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Éditions de l'EHESS 2022-11-01
Series:Transposition
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Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/transposition/8004
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author Élisabeth Rossé
author_facet Élisabeth Rossé
author_sort Élisabeth Rossé
collection DOAJ
description This article offers a redefinition of the identificatory dimension of trance music based on the analysis of possession rituals among the Tandroy in southern Madagascar. The identificatory value of trance music had been expressed by Rouget in semantic terms: the music would be the signifier of the signified spirit. Based on the description of Tandroy ritual situations and of the musical actions collectively performed during these possession rituals, the aim of this article is to show the existence of another level of semantic relation, which leads to a change of anthropological perspective regarding the identificatory value of music in this ritual context. The argument takes into account the dynamic aspect of this practice of possession, influenced by the very strong mobility of a population that lives most often in bi-residence between its region of origin and different places on the island. Since the 1970s, the possessing spirits among the Tandroy belong to two categories – one indigenous, the other resulting from migration – to which specific rituals are associated, music being their main distinctive element. My hypothesis is that the relation between the actors and the music symbolizes the relation to the territory as experienced by the Tandroy. According to this approach, the principle of identification no longer concerns only the relationship between the possessed and the spirit, but also that of the ritual actors to their collective identity.
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spelling doaj-art-8f3053a27f524c3bae47d4cc653b62712025-08-20T02:20:26ZengÉditions de l'EHESSTransposition2110-61342022-11-0110.4000/transposition.8004Retour sur la dimension identificatoire de la musique de transe. Le cas des rituels sabo et rombo chez les Tandroy de Toliara, MadagascarÉlisabeth RosséThis article offers a redefinition of the identificatory dimension of trance music based on the analysis of possession rituals among the Tandroy in southern Madagascar. The identificatory value of trance music had been expressed by Rouget in semantic terms: the music would be the signifier of the signified spirit. Based on the description of Tandroy ritual situations and of the musical actions collectively performed during these possession rituals, the aim of this article is to show the existence of another level of semantic relation, which leads to a change of anthropological perspective regarding the identificatory value of music in this ritual context. The argument takes into account the dynamic aspect of this practice of possession, influenced by the very strong mobility of a population that lives most often in bi-residence between its region of origin and different places on the island. Since the 1970s, the possessing spirits among the Tandroy belong to two categories – one indigenous, the other resulting from migration – to which specific rituals are associated, music being their main distinctive element. My hypothesis is that the relation between the actors and the music symbolizes the relation to the territory as experienced by the Tandroy. According to this approach, the principle of identification no longer concerns only the relationship between the possessed and the spirit, but also that of the ritual actors to their collective identity.https://journals.openedition.org/transposition/8004MadagascarPossessionRitualMusicTrance
spellingShingle Élisabeth Rossé
Retour sur la dimension identificatoire de la musique de transe. Le cas des rituels sabo et rombo chez les Tandroy de Toliara, Madagascar
Transposition
Madagascar
Possession
Ritual
Music
Trance
title Retour sur la dimension identificatoire de la musique de transe. Le cas des rituels sabo et rombo chez les Tandroy de Toliara, Madagascar
title_full Retour sur la dimension identificatoire de la musique de transe. Le cas des rituels sabo et rombo chez les Tandroy de Toliara, Madagascar
title_fullStr Retour sur la dimension identificatoire de la musique de transe. Le cas des rituels sabo et rombo chez les Tandroy de Toliara, Madagascar
title_full_unstemmed Retour sur la dimension identificatoire de la musique de transe. Le cas des rituels sabo et rombo chez les Tandroy de Toliara, Madagascar
title_short Retour sur la dimension identificatoire de la musique de transe. Le cas des rituels sabo et rombo chez les Tandroy de Toliara, Madagascar
title_sort retour sur la dimension identificatoire de la musique de transe le cas des rituels sabo et rombo chez les tandroy de toliara madagascar
topic Madagascar
Possession
Ritual
Music
Trance
url https://journals.openedition.org/transposition/8004
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