Malagasy folklore constitutes one of the most enduring cultural foundations of Madagascar and plays a crucial role in shaping the island’s aesthetic traditions. Rooted in African and Indonesian cultural heritages, Malagasy folklore encompasses myths, oral narratives, music, dance, ritual practices, and visual arts that collectively express Malagasy understandings of beauty, the sublime, morality, and social harmony. This article examines how Malagasy folklore functions not merely as a set of traditional stories but as a dynamic aesthetic system that informs artistic production and cultural imagination in Madagascar. By analyzing key folkloric themes—including supernatural beliefs, ancestor veneration, nature symbolism, and musical performance—this study demonstrates how aesthetics in Madagascar emerge from lived cultural experience and collective memory. Drawing on interdisciplinary scholarship in folklore studies, aesthetics, and cultural anthropology, the article argues that Malagasy folklore provides an essential framework for interpreting Malagasy artistic expression across music, visual arts, architecture, literature, and performance. In doing so, it highlights the inseparable relationship between art, aesthetics, and cultural identity in Madagascar, while also acknowledging the hybrid influences introduced through colonial and global encounters. Ultimately, this study contributes to broader discussions of non-Western aesthetics by illustrating how folklore-based artistic traditions sustain cultural continuity and aesthetic meaning in Malagasy society.

Fengyuan Tian. Folklore, Aesthetics, and Cultural Imagination in Madagascar: An Artistic and Cultural Analysis of Malagasy Folklore. Frontiers in Art Research (2026), Vol. 8, Issue 1: 48-54. https://doi.org/10.25236/FAR.2026.080108.

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