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Africain sacred powers : return on an universal political resource
Organised by Christine Henry (Donatecarcenter.com-Ivry), Giles Holder (Donatecarcenter.com-Aix) and Henry Médard (Donatecarcenter.com-Paris)
Monthly seminar, on Tuesdays of 11 h 30 - 13 30
Donatecarcenter.com-PARIS / Centres Malher, 9, street Malher 75004 Paris / 2nd graduate room Person
Program 2007-2008
11/20/2007 : Christine Henry (Donatecarcenter.com-Ivry), Giles Holder (Donatecarcenter.com-Aix) and Henry Médard (Donatecarcenter.com-Paris), introductory Session
12/18/2007
3/11/2008
4/15/2008
5/13/2008
When they lean over the important literature dedicated to kingship in Africa, one find been quickly confronted in a series of epithets as " divine king " , « king magician », « king priest », « queen of rain », « king of peace », " sacred king " , which makes straightaway break with any reference to the European world. If the king of France was sometimes "by divine right " or if, as said Shakespeare, « there is so much divine around a king », they however hear never about " divine king " in its respect ; at most as it is sometimes said about him that it is a « divine king », but it is only flattery of sycophants there. Also, if the king of England fulfils miracles and recovers, they prefer defining him in "Thaumaturge" or in "mystic" , rather than to introduce him as a « king magician », being undoubtedly heard that the Mystery of God is something else than one vulgarity superstition. And if the English or French consecration, across the ritual of unction, is described as the major condition of royal legitimacy which brings up the dignitary at the rank of almost priest, it would come however to person's feather to write that it is about a « king priest », nor even to define this European kingship as « sacred kingship ».
Where from comes therefore this treatment differentiated regarding Africain kingship, which finds itself so classified in the quoting of the an cient, "pre-modern « kingship , or even "primitive « ? Would they have to make here in a royal power of particular nature which would be peculiar to the black continent, or would it be about result of a categorisation of the sciences of the man, history and anthropology at the head, who would support a radical altérité ?
Without rejecting idea straightaway that there would be difference between Africain and European kingship - who are partly fond besides of disciplinary distribution between anthropology and history - this seminar will try hard to show that the royal sacralité is outright a historical object, in Africa as elsewhere. At the same time, it will be a question of not losing either view than sacralisation is also a symbolic operation which consists, notably, in showing that the possessor of supreme power is not subjected to the eventuality of the time which governs the ordinary mortals.
By questioning Africain sacred powers, in historicisant their genesis, by reintroducing numerous contextual and discursive swordings, they will watch not to reify an épistémologique break between ancient monarchies and modern States. This seminar will set out to the opposite to grab the permanence of this political resource which is the sacralité, its effects back, its stakes of memory, its creativeness and its modernity. Finally, they will try hard not to station in the only field of kingship, to envisage other forms of powers which use the sacralité in Africa and contemporary transformations of policy.
