Capitalizing on its comparative political and social stability in the region, in recent years the Moroccan regime has been attracting global and regional investors with the promise of new ... Show moreCapitalizing on its comparative political and social stability in the region, in recent years the Moroccan regime has been attracting global and regional investors with the promise of new ‘megaprojects’ that aim to radically transform local natural, economic and social landscapes. Inaugurated in 2018, Morocco’s (and Africa’s) first high-speed rail line (LGV) is considered a flagship project within this landscape. Part of a wider ‘development corridor’, this 2-billion-euro infrastructure has become invested with political, ideological, and strongly affective meanings related to ideas of mobility and future prosperity, even as it violently displaced informal housing communities and created disruptions along the existing rail network. Drawing on the recent theoretical apparatus of anthropologies of infrastructure, this paper traces the ways in which the introduction of high-speed railway has thrown into stark relief the scaling of geographical and temporal relationships of belonging in Morocco. From this exploration scale emerges as a political process of spatiotemporal re-arrangement that contributes to the consolidation of particular power relations while also providing a conduit for their critique. Show less
The first decade of the 21st century marked a change in the design and implementation of urban strategies in Morocco through the intro- duction of sectorial policies and reforms of various kinds... Show moreThe first decade of the 21st century marked a change in the design and implementation of urban strategies in Morocco through the intro- duction of sectorial policies and reforms of various kinds aimed at encouraging investment and stimulating economic growth. Megaprojects have emerged as the preferred implementation tool of these urban strategies. In this article, we examine this development through the case of large-scale projects in Casablanca, Morocco‘s economic capital. We argue that these changes are as much a result of structural reforms as they are indicative of global and transnational neoliberalisation logics. Together, these act as the main drivers for the city‘s ambitions to increase economic productivity and become a regional business and financial hub. We further argue that this is being effected through a pro- liferation of ‚supply‘ strategies that have led to a standardisation of urban development policies and planning forms at the expense of local needs. We follow these developments on three levels: megaproject governance, influence on regulatory frameworks, and the transformation of local socio-spatial fabrics. Show less
This article explores the role of infrastructure in the production of post-colonial political imaginaries linked to mobility and expectations of social justice. I focus on how the building of the... Show moreThis article explores the role of infrastructure in the production of post-colonial political imaginaries linked to mobility and expectations of social justice. I focus on how the building of the Casablanca tramway opened up new ways for engaging in political commentary and participation for a segment of the city that frequently lacks the direct means for accessing power. In the process, the aim is to contribute a brief account of the historical genealogies behind such projects and argue for an understanding of infrastructure as a site for the production of future aspirations and political engagement for marginalized communities. Show less
The Western Mediterranean is a key region to understand human dispersal events within and out of the African continent as well as for the eventual replacement of Neanderthals by anatomically... Show moreThe Western Mediterranean is a key region to understand human dispersal events within and out of the African continent as well as for the eventual replacement of Neanderthals by anatomically modern humans during the Pleistocene. Central to any conclusive interpretation of archaeological and palaeoclimatic datasets that can be found in Palaeolithc caves is the establishment of a reliable chronostratigraphic framework for the investigated site. In this thesis, Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating was applied to determine the burial age of sedimentary deposits at three Palaeolithic cave sites in the Western Mediterranean - the Thomas Quarries and Rhafas, both Morocco, and Vanguard Cave, Gibraltar. Dating results were coupled with archaeological, sedimentological and geological proxy data to allow conclusive statements regarding the timing of human occupation phases and the appearance of technological innovations at the sites, local site formation processes and palaeoenvironmental conditions in the region in the past. Reliable OSL chronologies were developed for stratigraphical sequences at Rhafas and Vanguard Cave, while the applied standard single-grain dating turned out to be an inadequate technique for age determination of the Thomas Quarries sediments. Show less
The presence of tens of thousands of Moroccan soldiers in Spain during its Civil War was an encounter between two culturally different people. This thesis researches the impact of the racial... Show moreThe presence of tens of thousands of Moroccan soldiers in Spain during its Civil War was an encounter between two culturally different people. This thesis researches the impact of the racial stereotypes the Spaniards had about the Moroccans on how the Moroccans were treated in the Spanish Army, how their interaction with the Spanish civilian society was regulated, and how far the agency of the Moroccan soldiers themselves determined their own position within the army and within their Spanish cultural surroundings. It appears that rather than passive players in the Spanish conflict, the Moroccans did exercise no little amount of control of their own affairs and on how they interacted with the Spaniards (both military and civilian) in a way that often went beyond what Spanish stereotypes and policies allowed for. The presence of tens of thousands of Moroccan soldiers in Spain during its Civil War was an encounter between two culturally different people. This thesis researches the impact of the racial stereotypes the Spaniards had about the Moroccans on how the Moroccans were treated in the Spanish Army, how their interaction with the Spanish civilian society was regulated, and how far the agency of the Moroccan soldiers themselves determined their own position within the army and within their Spanish cultural surroundings. It appears that rather than passive players in the Spanish conflict, the Moroccans did exercise no little amount of control of their own affairs and on how they interacted with the Spaniards (both military and civilian) in a way that often went beyond what Spanish stereotypes and policies allowed for. Show less
This study analyses the everyday practices and the multiplicious identification processes in Amazigh mineral and fossil artisan communities, focusing on the Ayt Khebbash group in Rissani and... Show moreThis study analyses the everyday practices and the multiplicious identification processes in Amazigh mineral and fossil artisan communities, focusing on the Ayt Khebbash group in Rissani and Tafraoute of southeastern Morocco. I address the following questions: how do the Ayt Khebbash artisans identify themselves and others through everyday work and participation in different communities? What is their relation to the space that surrounds them? How do they deal with the discourse power of the state and the penetrating influences of capitalism? I argue that in the context of the Tafilalet, the collective Amazigh ethnic identity promoted by the activists holds little importance compared to a tribal sense of belonging based on agnatic ties. Also, the local Ayt Khebbash artisans see themselves contextually through social interactions in everyday work and in relation to external power structures. This dissertation consists of an introduction, four main chapters, and a conclusion. The division of the main content of this study into four chapters is in accordance with the geography of the region: Tafilalet (Ar-Rachidia Province), the village Tafraoute, the town Rissani, and reḥla (‘open space’). I examine the development of fossil ex¬traction and sculpting work in Tafraoute and Rissani in the context of environmental factors and the local history of French colonial rule, so as to situate the practice of Ayt Khebbash men in the historical process of herding, agriculture and mining work. Then I analyse the apprenticeship of fossil artisans as a process of participation in social practice, by using the notion of ‘legitimate peripheral participation’ within the ‘communities of practice’ developed by Lave and Wenger (Lave and Wenger 1991; Wenger 1998). This is to demonstrate that work is a social practice wherein acting agents acquire new knowledge, techniques, and lifestyles, in the multiple processes of confrontations and contradictions. Furthermore, through an analysis of the Ayt Kheb¬bash artisans’ work experiences in Nador and barite mining, I argue that their identifi¬cation processes also involve ‘marginality’, ‘dis-identification’, and ‘non-participation’ (Hodges 1998). Contrary to Lave and Wenger’s model (1991; 1998), ‘participation’ was an experience in constant conflict with their historically situated self within the new socio-economic frameworks, which in the case of the Ayt Khebbash artisans induced sympathy for their own tribal identities, rather than assimilation to the structural conditions of the capitalist labour market. I conclude that the Ayt Khebbash artisans counteract the effect of globalisation in their own terms with their own initiatives, by constantly imagining, reinventing and reconstructing their spatial and tribal senses of belonging. Show less
This dissertation provides a grammatical description of Ghomara Berber, a Berber language spoken in North-Western Morocco by about 10.000 people. The grammar consists of a description of the... Show moreThis dissertation provides a grammatical description of Ghomara Berber, a Berber language spoken in North-Western Morocco by about 10.000 people. The grammar consists of a description of the phonology, the morphology and the syntax. In the appendices a number of texts and a wordlist are included. Ghomara Berber has been thoroughly influenced by Arabic resulting in parallel systems. In the phonology the consonants, the vowels, assimilations and labialisation are treated. Ghomara Berber has a number of spirantised consonants. In the morphology the parallel systems are most evident. The Berber and Arabic systems are treated separately in most chapters. Arabic diminutive patterns have been borrowed and applied to native Berber-morphology nouns extending the already existing diminutive formation. Many Arabic verbs can only be conjugated using Arabic morphology. Different from many Berber languages, the adjective forms a word class of its own. Arabic active and passive participles are taken over unchanged in Ghomara Berber. In the syntax the interaction between the Arabic and Berber in the relative clause and in mood and aspect presents interesting cases of language contact. This study is of interest to specialists of Berber, Arabic and Afro-Asiatic languages. It provides many interesting language contact phenomena. Show less
Dit boek gaat over de relatie tussen de Marokkaanse overheid en Marokkaanse Nederlanders. Het perspectief van Marokkaanse Nederlanders staat hierin centraal. Wat zijn hun percepties over,... Show moreDit boek gaat over de relatie tussen de Marokkaanse overheid en Marokkaanse Nederlanders. Het perspectief van Marokkaanse Nederlanders staat hierin centraal. Wat zijn hun percepties over, ervaringen met en reacties op de zogenaamde ‘lange arm’ van Marokko?De Marokkaanse overheid voert actief beleid om banden te onderhouden met Marokkaanse Nederlanders; er is een Marokkaans ministerie van Marokkanen in het Buitenland, Stichting Hassan II organiseert zomerreizen naar Marokko en de overheid heeft programma’s om investeerders met een Marokkaanse achtergrond te begeleiden bij ondernemingen in Marokko. Deze relatie is in Nederland onderwerp van discussie, omdat ze als problematisch wordt ervaren. Er bestaat maatschappelijke en politieke onrust over dubbele nationaliteiten en het contact tussen burgers en een vreemde overheid.De Nederlandse discussie richt zich voornamelijk op het optreden van de Marokkaanse overheid. Er is opvallend weinig aandacht voor wat de Marokkaanse Nederlanders hiervan merken en wat zij hiermee doen. Marokkaanse Nederlanders blijven uit beeld of worden voorgesteld als enigszins weerloze ontvangers van de boodschappen en belangen die de Marokkaanse overheid over ze uitspreidt. Dit boek laat zien dat dit beeld onvolledig is: voor de daadwerkelijke uitvoering van het Marokkaanse overheidsbeleid vervullen Marokkaanse Nederlanders zelf een cruciale rol Show less
Op 7 mei 2011 publiceerde het NRC Handelsblad een essay van Anil Ramdas, waarin hij zich een overtuigd criticus van het Nederlandse minderhedenbeleid betoonde. Hij verweet de overheid een te grote... Show moreOp 7 mei 2011 publiceerde het NRC Handelsblad een essay van Anil Ramdas, waarin hij zich een overtuigd criticus van het Nederlandse minderhedenbeleid betoonde. Hij verweet de overheid een te grote opdringerigheid in de omgang met de eigen culturen van migranten. Rond de eeuwwisseling, en in het bijzonder na ‘9/11’ en de moord op Theo van Gogh in 2004, was er sprake van een slingerbeweging naar het andere uiterste: ‘de overheid voelt zich nu geroepen om niet de eigen culturen te bevorderen, maar om de eigen culturen te bestrijden!’ In Het Land van Herkomst, waarin de banden van Marokkaanse migranten centraal staan, verklaart Bouras de veranderde houding van de Nederlandse overheid. Ook aan Marokkaanse zijde deden zich verschuivingen voor. Met de analyse van het Marokkaanse emigratiebeleid en levensverhalen van Marokkanen laat Bouras zien dat de aard en de omvang van de banden met Marokko in de periode tusse n 1960 en 2010 bepaald worden door meerdere factoren. Show less
In Morocco, as elsewhere, Western development initiatives face increasing competition from transnationally active Islamic movements, thereby complicating the dynamics of transnational-state-local... Show moreIn Morocco, as elsewhere, Western development initiatives face increasing competition from transnationally active Islamic movements, thereby complicating the dynamics of transnational-state-local interaction. The author analyses these dynamics by focusing on the dilemmas that arose when, in his research site, a pious Muslim won a sum of money in the “Ramadan lottery” and was engulfed by contradictory transnational advice. Ironically, this competition between global players boosted the legal agency of local actors. Show less
The question of adoption has been largely overlooked in studies of the Muslim world given that Islam officially prohibits it on potent religious alibis. Considering such a practice from an... Show moreThe question of adoption has been largely overlooked in studies of the Muslim world given that Islam officially prohibits it on potent religious alibis. Considering such a practice from an ethnographic perspective, and not exclusively a legalistic one, opens up new dimensions in the study of family and kinship in the Muslim world. Yet, such a practice is predicated on the existence of children to be adopted as 'raw material' in the first place. And while historically there have been, and still continue to be, various intra-family exchanges of children outside legal frames and the practice of Islamic tutelage, kafala, the Muslim world, as elsewhere, is experiencing the problem of abandoned children as a by-product of deep social permutations. Show less
In 1937, Haj Alla al-Qadmiri intoned 'Bismallah' (In the name of God) up to one hundred times in the course of a night's work.Qadmiri was an imam of the municipal slaughterhouse of Fez. Placing... Show moreIn 1937, Haj Alla al-Qadmiri intoned 'Bismallah' (In the name of God) up to one hundred times in the course of a night's work.Qadmiri was an imam of the municipal slaughterhouse of Fez. Placing each animal on its side, he slit its throat from ear to ear while uttering this blessing. After the ritual sacrifice, butchers, also Moroccan Muslims, prepared the animal for sale by removing its skin and dressing its meat. Qadmiri's job seemed an age-old tradition, but it was an innovation dating to 1912, when the French established the Protectorate of Morocco. Show less
The political institutions of Moroccan tribes are closely intertwined with the central state. By allying with state officials, tribe members actively contribute to state authoritarianism. The state... Show moreThe political institutions of Moroccan tribes are closely intertwined with the central state. By allying with state officials, tribe members actively contribute to state authoritarianism. The state has seen to it that neither the rural council nor the customary village council offers positions for representation of the tribal population. However, the recent gouvernement d'alternance of Prime Minister Youssoufi and King Mohammed VI have both declared the introduction of a local government intended to serve the population, instead of controlling it through this nonrepresentation. Nonetheless, in view of Morocco's political culture, it can be argued that this will be a long-term affair. Show less
On 14 January 1986, H.M. Hassan II, the late King of Morocco, delivered a speech on architecture. The speech was addressed to a small gathering of architects selected by the Ministry of the... Show moreOn 14 January 1986, H.M. Hassan II, the late King of Morocco, delivered a speech on architecture. The speech was addressed to a small gathering of architects selected by the Ministry of the Interior as representatives of their profession. The King of Morocco, unlike Prince Charles, was a true ruler and his speech was not meant as an art critique. Rather, it was intended to clarify a new incipient politics of urban design. This new politics, which intended to promote a return to 'traditional' architectural culture, was in open contradiction to the former official discourse of modernization. How can one understand this return to traditional forms? Was this an index of failure in the process of modernization initiated by the state after Independence, or rather an issue of strong societal resistance towards modernization, calling for a new politics of urban design? Show less
Ever since the early stages of Islamic conversion, the Shurafa have been successful in sanctifiying their individual personae and collective presence in Moroccan society. Countervoices that... Show moreEver since the early stages of Islamic conversion, the Shurafa have been successful in sanctifiying their individual personae and collective presence in Moroccan society. Countervoices that questioned the legitimacy of their religious stature have, however, never been fully silenced. In recent times, state formation and the concurring processes of the spread of public education and electronic media have given a new impetus to these resurgent voices. Anthropological research shows how, for some of these modern religious contestants, protest against Sharifi authority is part of a profound emancipatory struggle. Show less
Avant-propos de P.J.C. van Dijk. Résultats d'une enquête effectueé dans une région de la province d'Al Hocaime, surpeuplée, montagneuse et sujette à l'érosion, sélectionnée pour une contribution... Show moreAvant-propos de P.J.C. van Dijk. Résultats d'une enquête effectueé dans une région de la province d'Al Hocaime, surpeuplée, montagneuse et sujette à l'érosion, sélectionnée pour une contribution néerlandaise au développement. Il paraît que tout politique de développement visant les plus déshérités se heurte à des difficultés majeures, problème qui dans une large mesure s'explique par le fonctionnement plutôt médiocre des instances marocaines. Atténuer cette dépendance serait la meilleure contribution qu'une aide extérieure pourrait apporter. Show less
