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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:In the Politics of the Rainbow: Creoles and Civil Society in Mauritius
Author:Laville, Rosabelle
Year:2000
Periodical:Journal of Contemporary African Studies
Volume:18
Issue:2
Period:July
Pages:277-294
Language:English
Geographic term:Mauritius
Subjects:Creoles
social inequality
political systems
democracy
popular participation
Ethnic and Race Relations
Politics and Government
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
External links:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/713675629
http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=QF9WEBGB93HKN7GDD55T
Abstract:This paper is a response to the paper by H. Srebrnik in vol. 18, no. 1 (2000) of this journal in which he posits the existence of a relatively stable, ethnically based, civil society in Mauritius. The present author argues that Srebrnik does not really consider the ways in which the people of Mauritius experience that civil society. For the black Creoles of Mauritius, true democracy would probably include an improvement of their ability to participate in and contribute to civil society on equal terms with other ethnic groups. For the moment, this does not seem to be the case. Recent ethnic violence on the island has created an atmosphere of suspicion among the island's different ethnic groups. Inequality can manifest itself in civil society and inhibit democratic processes. As long as the black Creoles kept to church-run organizations and accepted the sometimes contradictory messages of the Roman Catholic Church, they were not perceived as potential contenders for social and economic power. Since the 1990s, however, black Creoles, increasingly aware of their marginalized position in Mauritian society, have begun to create nonreligious social organizations - focusing on education, social well-being and skills development. Bibliogr., notes, ref.
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