This book brings together multidisciplinary research on the historical, linguistic, anthropological and religious dimensions of ethnicity in Madagascar. The majority of Madagascans are born, live and die within their narrowly defined ethnic groups, and yet most tend to view these sterile and stereotyped identities negatively. But rather than forming definitive conclusions about ethnicities on the island, this work intends to open up the debates on collective identities, as they are expressed and embodied day to day. The study thus constitutes an indispensable preamble to an examination of the construction of the Madagascan nation state. Contents: the origin and character of the Malagasy language; the Marofotsy in the quest of liberty in the 1820s; language, dialects and ethnicity in Madagascar; nationalism and ethnicity in the province of Tamatave 1939-1960; and a critical evaluation of the processes of inculturation in Madagascar. (In French)