Writings from the private archives of dignitaries exiled in Réunion
Écrits du for privé de dignitaires en exil à La Réunion
Published on Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Abstract
This workshop explores the intimate effects of the educational experience of dignitaries exiled to Reunion Island at the dawn of the 20th century. Experimenting seclusion, their exile was also a time of publicizing their words, with the publication of memoirs and press articles. The aim is to see how these prison worlds, which were on the increase during the colonial period, helped shape the bodies and souls of the inmates. Focusing on the writings of exiled dignitaries, this workshop seeks to probe the intimate changes that these new scholastic knowledges operate in terms of sociability, relationship to self and others, in a context of resistance to French occupation.
Announcement
Organized by Mamaye Idriss (University of Mayotte) and Gwénael Murphy (University of Réunion)
Programme
- 8:30-9:00 a.m.: Welcome and reception, coffee break
- 9:00-9:15 a.m.: Workshop opening by Abal-Kassim Cheik Ahamed, President of the University of Mayotte (to confirm) and Pierre-Henri Aho, Director of the Saint-Denis Departmental Library.
- 9:15-9:30 a.m.: Lecture of the Play by Papa Kaïs 'Renard a volé Monsieur le Président' (Fox Stole the President) in the presence of CDNOI Director Lolita Tergemina
- 9:30-10:00 a.m.: Worshop Introduction by Mamaye Idriss (University of Mayotte)
Between opposition and allegiance to France
Moderator: Pierre-Eric Fageol (University of Réunion)
- 10:00-10:30 a.m.: Jean Luc Nguyen, From Cap Saint-Jacques to Cap Bernard: exile and the unique trajectories of two Annamite sovereigns
- 10:30-11:00 a.m.: Mamaye Idriss (University of Mayotte), Media coverage of the words of the last sultan of the Comoros, Said Ali Saïd Omar: the pomp and fury of a fallen prince
- 11:00-11:30 a.m.: Raivolala Rahelison (University of Antananarivo), Malagasy dignitaries exiled to Réunion in 1896-1897
- 11:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.: Discussion
12:00-1:30 p.m.: Lunch break
Genesis of a 'court society': diversion and entertainment
Moderator: Gwénaëlle Marchais (University of Réunion)
- 1:30-2:00 p.m.: Thierry Malbert (University of Réunion), Abdelkrim El Khattabi exiled to Réunion from 1926 to 1947
- 2:00-2:30 p.m.: Pascal Razanakoto (University of Antananarivo), Authority figure and charisma of Queen Ranavalona III, exiled in Réunion
- 2:30-3:00 p.m.: Discussion
- 3:00-3:30 p.m.: Guest speaker: Silvia Bruzzi (University of Turin), From the island of Asinara to Turin: The exile of an Ethiopian princess in the 1930s
3:30-4:00 p.m.: Coffee break
Fieldwork and research
- 4:00-4:10 p.m.: Mamaye Idriss (University of Mayotte), Traces and fragments of the history of the 'stillborn': exile of the heir to the Sikh Empire in Réunion
- 4:10-4:20 p.m.: Mamaye Idriss (University of Mayotte), From Mohéli to La Bourgogne via Réunion: The disguised exile of Queen Salima Machamba of Mohéli (1874-1964)
- 4:30-5:00 p.m.: Isabelle Joly, author (remote), Princess and slave: The journey of Niama and the slave trade routes from the Kingdom of Galam (Senegal) to Bassin Plat Island (Mascarene Islands)
- 5:00-5:30 p.m.: Discussion
5:30-6:00 p.m.: Conclusion and outlook
Subjects
- History (Main category)
Places
- 173 bis rue Jean Chatel
Saint-Denis, Réunion (97400)
Event attendance modalities
Full on-site event
Date(s)
- Friday, September 26, 2025
Attached files
Keywords
- exile, déportation, Outre-Mer, colonisation, océan Indien occidental
Contact(s)
- Mamaye Idriss
courriel : mamaye [dot] idriss [at] univ-mayotte [dot] fr
Information source
- Mamaye Idriss
courriel : mamaye [dot] idriss [at] univ-mayotte [dot] fr
License
This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.
To cite this announcement
« Writings from the private archives of dignitaries exiled in Réunion », Study days, Calenda, Published on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, https://doi.org/10.58079/14q64
