Students have recently completed some creative, deeply-nuanced research in Morocco. In 2010-2020, topics included:

Entering and Redefining the Man’s Domain: Cafe Culture and the Intricacies of Navigating Public Space as a Woman in Morocco

In this paper I examine, observe, and draw conclusions from the way women from all over Morocco move through public spaces with a focus on the stigmas and culture surrounding cafes. I argue that class and affluence are able to erase certain boundaries that are due to the many factors affecting women’s access to acceptable public spaces. These two factors allow women to essentially buy their way out and give yourself some freedom in movement and presentation while in public.

An Ethnographic Study of Zellige Craftsmen

Zellige is a well-known traditional Moroccan craft, however, there is a gaping lack of documentation about the people who actually make it. Through this paper, I aim to address this issue through ethnographic fieldwork focused in Fes and Rabat, Morocco, through which I bring to life the stories of the workers and connect the pieces of their knowledge and experience.

Jewish Affects: A Study On André Azoulay, the King, and Moroccan Narratives of Jewish-Muslim Coexistence

I will use Kathleen Stewart’s idea of ordinary affects, Moroccan historical context, and my own experiences in the country to argue that, because of the monarchy’s creation and perpetuation of a narrative of Jewish affectations in Morocco’s popular culture as they relate to the king, senior advisor André Azoulay functions as a locus of cultural power in Morocco.

Moroccan Medinas in Time: Twists, Turns, and Temporal Duality

Western constructions of modernity often describe Moroccan medinas as stuck in time, unable to escape from their own past. Instead, I argue that Moroccan medinas exhibit a temporal duality: existing, moving, and evolving both in the past and present simultaneously. In this paper, I examine the origins and structures of Moroccan medinas, relating and comparing them to other medinas situated throughout the country, and arguing against the notion that these cultural sites are stuck in the past.

Northern Amazigh Identity in Tourist Spaces

A homogenous fabricated Northern (High, Central and Riffian) Amazigh identity formed in locations where Amazigh and tourists co-exist due to a long standing external pressure to preserve community strength. The waves of oppression caused by the Romans, Arabs, French and Moroccan government led the Northern Amazigh to show this constructed identity visually, artisanally, verbally and affectively. This historical and current perspective of Northern Amazigh identity is analyzed through a postcolonial and affect theory philosophical lens.

Parallel Planes of Morocco and its Women

In this paper, I will argue that Morocco places more importance on educating Moroccan and international academics about women in Islam instead of directly helping its women. I will do this by looking into the Moudawana reform and Morchidat program and comparing it with my interactions with everyday women like Majdal, a young woman who works in a halwa (sweet) shop in Rabat’s medina. Among my motivating questions: How are Morocco’s top-down legal reforms affecting her?

Outsiders in Their Own City: The Bouregreg Valley Project and the Moroccan Middle Class

The Bouregreg Valley Project in Sale, Morocco is a high-end development built in response to King Mohammed VI’s focus on globalization. The development’s resemblance to a Western World contrasts with traditional Moroccan style, creating a sense of not belonging for visitors. This paper analyzes these feelings experienced by the Moroccan middle class, and their impact on the rising tensions between the government and the middle class.   

Psychiatric Healthcare in Morocco: Affordability and Accessibility for Lower-Class Moroccans

The Moroccan healthcare system is severely lacking in finances, staff, and resources for psychiatric care. In this paper, I show the lack of accessibility and affordability of psychiatric care for lower-class Moroccans. I conducted interviews at Ibn Al Hassan Mental Hospital in Fes, Morocco that helped me determine that psychiatric care in public hospitals is lower quality due to the lack of resources and funding dedicated to the system, rather than incompetent medical professionals.

Screaming into the Void: Protest in Moroccan Rap

Morocco does not have full freedom of speech; there exists the redline, and it governs what people can say. Recently, the artist Gnawi was arrested because his work on the song “3ach cha3b” crossed the redline. The song itself is a scathing criticism of the monarchy and the government. The whole song is in Darija; there is a version with English subtitles, but Arabic as a language is full of subtleties that impact the meaning of what is being said. I don’t think the translation does the song justice. It doesn’t explain how the language of the song functions, and the finer cultural points that make the song so impactful. In this paper, I will translate into English the lyrics and give an explanation of the Arabic, along with a cultural explanation and analysis of the song lyrics.