The concept of the “Indo-Pacific” has become a focal point of French diplomacy, with Emmanuel Macron not hesitating to lead the vast area designated as a “strategic priority”. While the term is now common in public discourse, it is generally not known that it was first used as a geopolitical notion by historian Madeleine Ly-Tio-Fane to describe French colonial expansion in the 18th century.
Madeleine Ly-Tio-Fane (1928-2011) was a unique intellectual figure. Originally from Mauritius, she made her work as a librarian at the Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute the starting point for her historical research on natural sciences and exchanges in the Indian Ocean. Particularly focused on the roles of three French botanists – Pierre Poivre, Jean-Nicolas Céré, and Pierre Sonnerat – in introducing plant species including those producing spices to the islands of France (Mauritius) and Bourbon (Réunion).
One particular article caught our attention: “Pierre Poivre and French expansion in the Indo-Pacific”, published in 1967 in the Bulletin of the French School of the Far East. To our knowledge, this is the first time the term “Indo-Pacific” was used in a geopolitical context to describe French efforts in the region. This sheds light on the early origins of the term and its significance in French colonial history.
The term “Indo-Pacific” was not invented by Ly-Tio-Fane, but it had early appearances in the 19th century by British naturalist James Logan and later by German geopolitician Karl Haushofer. It wasn’t until President Macron’s Indo-Pacific strategy in 2018 that the term gained widespread adoption in French administration and academia.
Overall, the article explores the historical significance of figures like Pierre Poivre in French colonial ambitions and the role of intellectuals like Madeleine Ly-Tio-Fane in shaping the geopolitical landscape of the Indo-Pacific region.
