Pyracmond, ou les Creoles : L'articulation d'une hierarchie des roles raciaux sur la scene francaise sous la Restauration

The evolution of the figure of the foreigner in theatrical works during the Bourbon Restoration in France demonstrates the complexity of the very concept of the foreigner. Dramatic works from this period allow us to discover how different communities and peoples—French, Creole, Arab, and African—were portrayed to audiences. Changes made to these theatrical manuscripts by the censors signal the prescriptive nature that subtends these fictions and allows us to trace how the figure of the foreigner presented on stage evolved during the Restoration. This article studies the manuscript of the lyric drama Pyracmond, ou les Créoles, as well as the conditions surrounding its production and reception. This opera offers a striking example of the staging of a racial hierarchy. Analysis of the text and the changes demanded by the censors allow us to gauge the underlying stakes in its different representations of the figure of the foreigner as the setting of the drama was changed from Saint-Domingue to Madagascar. In the case of Pyracmond, these stakes include the condemnation of ethnic mixing as well as the construction of a racial hierarchy.