Gallien, Raphaël

The flesh of the asylum. The everyday of madness, between ordinary violence and disciplinary ambitions (Madagascar, 1941) - 2020.


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Madagascar, 1941. In the only insane asylum on the island, the director and the general superintendent are accused of sexual violence against a dozen Malagasy women from the institution. Facing growing accusations, the colonial administration had no choice but to launch an investigation. More than the acts themselves, it was the entry of these men into the space reserved for the “indigenous” women that caused a scandal, undermining both the compartmentalization of the asylum and colonial honor. This study, due to the way it was conducted, reveals from a new angle the ordinary of the asylum’s ambition.