Stranger-king

François Duvalier (1907–71) ruled Haiti from 1957 until his death in 1971. His regime has often been described as one of the most brutal in the nation’s history. Duvalier was also known then and is remembered today as someone of foreign origin who, for this reason, grew up without kin—save his father and grandfather. Duvalier had no known siblings, cousins, nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, grandmothers, or granduncles; almost nothing is known about his own mother. Such a socialization is extraordinary in a society where extended family usually frames one’s identity, socialization, and social position. New, unpublished documents presented in this article prove where Duvalier’s family was actually from. Society created a moral genealogy for Duvalier to distance itself from his brutality; it “othered” its ruler by linking him to alterity.

The present study deals with the element of the foreign in the self-portrayal of the elite during the Three Kingdoms period (ca. 400-668) on the Korean Peninsula. Based on the anthropological concepts of M. Sahlins’ ‘stranger-king’ and Mary W. Helms’ ‘esoteric knowledge’ it is being argued that the elite of Koguryŏ, Paekche, Silla, and the Kaya polities justified their claim to power through the narration of a foreign or supernatural origin of their lineage. As a basis for the examinations the progenitor myths included in the Samguk Sagi and Samgku Yusa as well as other remarks related to elite distinction are reviewed. Additionally, selected archaeological finds are interpreted as material expressions of the cultivation and display of esoteric knowledge that might have supported the narrative of the supernatural origin and abilities of the elite members.
The trope-like character of the progenitor myths and the formation of an inter-polity elite culture demonstrates the high competition and interdependencies between the elite members of the polities. Under this circumstances it is difficult to assess, whether particular founders or influential families were indeed of foreign origin or if this was just a claim by the local elite to maintain and justify their exertion of power.

The purpose of this article is to critically summarize and explicate the key theses put forward by Marshall Sahlins and David Graeber in "On Kings" [2017]. The author places them in the context of "the ontological turn” (an anthropological position rejecting the hegemony of representation) and points out – somewhat on the margins – their methodological potential for anthropological and historical research on the formation of early medieval royal dynasties in the area of Central and Eastern Europe.