The Incorporation of Diversity in the Constitution of Mauritius: A Case of Identities Frozen in Time

Constitutional design plays a major role in the accommodation of diversity in plural and divided societies. This article examines the measures taken to accommodate diversity in the Independence Constitution of Mauritius and discusses their implications towards nation-building in postcolonial Mauritius. Mauritius has a plural society composed of the descendants of migrants and the population is divided along ethnic, linguistic, religious, caste and class lines. During the decolonisation process, the main challenge was to balance identity with political interest in order to avoid conflict. The Independence Constitution crafted by the British was the result of negotiations between different political, ethnic and religious groups, with the main point of contention being identity and representation in independent Mauritius. Yet, postcolonial Mauritius became one of Africa’s success stories in terms of sustained democracy, political stability and economic growth. The article argues that while the measures taken to accommodate the diversity of the Mauritian population into the Constitution have contributed to state-building, they have frozen identities in a changing society and thereby not promoted nation-building in the postcolonial era.