The Mauritian paradox
Subtitle: fifty years of development, diversity and democracy
By: edited by Ramola Ramtohul and Thomas Hylland Eriksen
Publisher: University of Mauritius Press
Published: 2018
Place of publication: Réduit, Mauritius
Language: eng
Number of pages: 279
ISBN-13: 9789990373486
Copyright date: 2018
Subjects: Social conditions; Economic conditions; Politics and government; Conditions sociales; Conditions économiques; Politique et gouvernement; Economic history
Description: "Speaking of Mauritius as an economic miracle has become a cliché, and with good reason: Its development since Independence in 1968 can easily be narrated as a rags-to-riches story. In addition, it is a stable democracy capable of containing the conflict potential inherent in its complex ethnic and religious demography. This book brings together some of the finest scholarship, domestic as well as foreign, on contemporary Mauritius, offering perspectives from constitutional law, cultural studies, sociology, archaeology, economics, social anthropology and more. While celebrating the indisputable, and impressive, achievements of the Mauritian nation on its fiftieth birthday, this book is far from toothless. Looking back inevitably implies looking ahead, and in order to do so, critical self-scrutiny is essential, to be able to learn from the mistakes of the past. The contributors raise fundamental questions concerning a broad range of issues, from the dilemmas of multiculturalism to the marginal role of women in public life, from the question of constitutional reform and the continued problem of corruption to the slow destruction of Mauritius' joy and pride, namely the beauty and purity of its natural scenery. Taking stock of the first fifty years, this book also looks ahead to the next fifty years, giving some cues as to where Mauritius can and should aim in the next decades."--Book cover.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: Introduction / Thomas Hylland Eriksen and Ramola Ramtohul; title: The Constitution at 50 / Milan J.N. Meetarbhan; title: Stability and dilemmas : the Mauritian electoral system / Tania Diolle; title: Political leadership in Mauritius : the trappings of the poster child syndrome / Roukaya Kasenally; title: The media as agents of democracy in Mauritius : issues and challenges since independence / Christina Chan-Meetoo; title: Mauritius' economic success uncovered / Verena Tandrayen-Ragoobur and Harshana Kasseeah; title: Genealogies of a miracle : a historical anthropology of the Mauritian Export Processing Zone / Patrick Neveling; title: Small is beautiful, but is it viable? Scale and Mauritian options for the next 50 years / Thomas Hylland Eriksen; title: Transcending Intersectional Identities : the establishment of the women's movement in postcolonial Mauritius / Ramola Ramtohul; title: The materiality of multiculturalism : an archaeological perspective / Krish Seetah, Diego Calaon, SaŠa Čaval, Alessandra Cianciosi and Aleksander Pluskowski; title: Young people living multiculturalism in contemporary Mauritius / Caroline Ng Tseung-Wong; title: From language to religion in Mauritian nation-building / Patrick Eisenlohr; title: Performative historiography of the mothertongue : reading 'kreol' outside a colonial and nationalist approach / Gitanjali Pyndiah; title: Deconstructing Mauritian literature / Julie Peghini; title: "For Mauritians, joy; for Chagossians, sadness" : Mauritian independence, the sacrifice of the Chagos Archipelago, and the suffering of the Chagos islanders / Laura Jeffery; title: 'Being 'Mauritian' : Indo-Mauritians in the UK / Sean F. Carey.