The elite’s people. Elite representations and moral order in Madagascar

Much social science research has emphasized the importance of the ideas, beliefs and representations of leading social groups in legitimizing behavior and shaping public policy. However, very few of them have developed these analyses in the context of African societies. This article breaks new ground in this respect by exploring the elite representations of the Malagasy people based on an original survey of 1,000 representatives of the highest positions of power in the society of the Big Island. Using the usual methods of textual analysis but also those of econometric modeling, the work shows that, although marked by different sensitivities, the elite representations are very homogeneous. The opinions expressed bear witness to the distance that separates these elites from a people that they look down on with benevolence, concern and/or contempt, while often showing a form of incomprehension. The different registers used are almost all a way of naturalizing poverty and, consequently, of legitimizing the economic and social position of the respondents. Their lack of a sense of responsibility for the fate of the population and low sense of social interdependence thus limits their support for —and engagement in— pro-poor policies.