Paper short abstract:

By exploring the life histories of Malagasy domestic workers who moved from rural to urban contexts, this article will explore what does it mean to be exposed to contemporary forms of labor exploitation in a context where the stigma related to past slavery still produces social marginalization.

Paper long abstract:

By exploring the life histories of Malagasy domestic workers who moved from rural to urban contexts, this article will discuss how the topic of slavery is evoked by people who face present forms of exploitation. I will argue that legacies of past slavery are evident in Madagascar not only in the ways they contribute to structure current forms of social discriminations against slave descendants, but also in how contemporary forms of labor exploitation are personally experienced and socially discussed. How are memories of past forms of slavery evoked or silenced by people who are more exposed to these forms of exploitation? What is the meaning of the slavery and freedom that are attached to particular jobs and tasks? What does it mean to be exposed to contemporary forms of labor exploitation in a context where the stigma related to past slavery still produces social and economic marginalization? The long history of slavery in Madagascar and the persistent stigma that has been attached to slave descendants have shaped and nurtured a number of practices and ideologies that consider honor as a zero-sum game in which masters' prestige and the superiority is measured on their ability to reduce the honor of their employees. By showing that they can call someone andevo ('slave/slave descendant') without consequences and that they can oblige people to perform humiliating tasks, masters can demonstrate and reaffirm their social status and/or their economic success.