Maghrib in Past & Present | Podcasts

Watermelons, Dates, and Living with Water Scarcity in Zagora

Episode 163: Watermelons, Dates, and Living with Water Scarcity in Zagora

Southeast Morocco is known for its oases, dates, and diverse linguistic and cultural landscape shaped by Amazigh, Arab, African, Jewish, nomadic and agrarian exchanges. Today, this landscape is also frequently colored by watermelons and water shortages. Small-scale farmers are at the center of the changes—navigating water scarcity and market fluctuations as the region orients towards global commodity production. This research examines the perspectives of farmers and local residents in Zagora to understand how water and agriculture are changing in the rural, pre-Saharan oases of Morocco, and the impact this is having on local lives.

Jamie Fico is a U.S. Fulbright researcher studying agricultural, social, and environmental change in the southeastern oases of Morocco. Her work stems from her time as a U.S Peace Corps Volunteer in the Province of Zagora from 2018 to 2020, and focuses on the lived experience of water shortages and agricultural transitions in the region. She holds a Master of Arts from Syracuse University in Geography and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia in Middle Eastern Studies and Global Studies.

This episode was recorded on September 27th, 2022 at the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM). 

Recorded and edited in Tangier, by: Abdelbaar Mounadi Idrissi, Outreach Coordinator, TALIM

 

Posted by Hayet Lansari, Librarian, Outreach Coordinator, Content Curator (CEMA).

La génération du Môle d’Alger et l’avènement d’un art moderne algérien

Episode 162: La génération du Môle d’Alger et l’avènement d’un art moderne algérien

Dans ce podcast, Lydia Haddag, doctorante en histoire de l’art à l’Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne, parle de la formation et les recompositions des mondes de l’art algérois au XXème siècle à travers la génération du Môle d’Alger. Aux lendemains de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, la génération du Môle rassemble une pléiade d’artistes autour du peintre Sauveur Galliéro (1914-1963) et du poète Jean Sénac (1926-1973). Ensemble, ils mobilisent un imaginaire marin et développent une esthétique citadine, cosmopolite et populaire. Leurs œuvres rendent compte d’une algérianité nouvelle qui s’affranchit progressivement des mythes coloniaux. Entre révolution artistique et art révolutionnaire, nous souhaitons mettre en lumière un groupe méconnu qui, à la manière d’une « Internationale des peuples de la mer » a marqué les mondes de l’art algérois et contribué à l’avènement d’un art moderne algérien à l’indépendance du pays.

Lydia Haddag est doctorante en histoire de l’art à l’Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne, rattachée au laboratoire InVisu (CNRS/INHA). Elle est diplômée du Master « Cultural Policy and management » de Sciences Po Paris du programme Arts, Littératures, Langages de l’EHESS. Ses recherches doctorales portent sur l’histoire des collectifs artistiques entre les villes d’Alger et de Tunis, des années 1930 à 1990. Elle est l’auteure de La génération du Môle d’Alger, un essai consacré à un groupe d’artistes algérois réuni autour du peintre Sauveur Galliéro. Elle a collaboré en 2022-2023 avec l’AMCA et la Fondation Getty au projet « Mapping Art Histories in the Arab World, Iran, and Turkey » en qualité de « Lead Researcher » pour l’Algérie.

Cet épisode a été enregistré le 25 avril 2023 via Zoom, par le Centre d'Études Maghrébines à Tunis (CEMAT).

Pour consulter les diaporamas associés à ce podcast, veuillez visiter notre site web: www.themaghribpodcast.com

Nous remercions notre ami Ignacio Villalón, pour sa prestation à la guitare pour l'introduction et la conclusion de ce podcast.

Posté par: Hayet Yebbous Bensaid, Bibliothécaire / Chargée de la diffusion des activités scientifiques (CEMA). 

Climate change, mobilities, and social remittances in Skoura M’Daz, Morocco

Episode 161: Climate change, mobilities, and social remittances in Skoura M’Daz, Morocco

Climate change and migration have a complex relationship, and Morocco presents an interesting case of intertwining environmental change, national development policies, and human mobility. For her dissertation research, Rachael Diniega looks at the influence of social remittances, intangible non-material transfers across migrant connections, on climate adaptation and sustainable development in Skoura M’Daz, Morocco.

Rachael Diniega is a human mobility and environment specialist. She has studied the intersection of climate change and migration since her BA at the University of Virginia, through her MA Human Rights & Cultural Diversity at the University of Essex, UK, and currently for her PhD in Geography at the University of Vienna, Austria. She has worked and done research in sustainable development and human rights across North Africa and Central Asia. During her AIMS and Fulbright research from 2021 to 2022, she completed fieldwork, including interviews, surveys, and participant observation, in Skoura M’Daz, an olive town in the Middle Atlas Mountains. Rachael previously worked there as a US Peace Corps Volunteer and was very excited to return to beautiful sunsets, couscous Fridays, and the sound of waterfalls and irrigation canals.

This episode was recorded on December 8th, 2022 at the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM). 

 

To see related slides please vista our website: www.themagribpodcast.com

 

Recorded and edited in Tangier, by: Abdelbaar Mounadi Idrissi, Outreach Coordinator, TALIM

 

Posted by Hayet Lansari, Librarian, Outreach Coordinator, Content Curator (CEMA).

 

Ibn Rushd, Ecotheology, and Morocco’s Environmental Policy

Episode 160: Ibn Rushd, Ecotheology, and Morocco's Environmental Policy

In this podcast, Austin Bodetti, talks about Ecotheology, a new academic discipline and social movement, that focuses on the relationship between nature and religion. In a number of Muslim-majority countries, proponents of ecotheology have argued that the Quran, the Hadith, and other religious texts impose a unique obligation on humans: because God placed humans in charge of the environment, they must care for it. Morocco, for its part, has taken this argument to heart, launching the Green Mosques Program to find inspiration for the environmental movement within Islam. Moroccan scholars may want to look at the writings of the medieval Muslim jurist Ibn Rushd—better known in the Western world as "Averroes." In the book The Distinguished Jurist's Primer, he analyzed how Islamic law dealt with a range of complex topics, including environmental issues. Having studied Islam in Morocco, Ibn Rushd could continue to inform the kingdom's environmental policy.

Austin Bodetti is an alumnus of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program from the 2019-2020 academic year and an independent researcher specializing in the culture, politics, and history of the Middle East. He graduated from Boston College in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in Islamic studies and now lives in Rabat, Morocco, where he writes about current events in the region and his love of French tacos.

This episode was recorded on May 28th, 2021 at the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM). 

 

Recorded and edited in Tangier, by: Abdelbaar Mounadi Idrissi, Outreach Coordinator, TALIM

Posted by Hayet Lansari, Librarian, Outreach Coordinator, Content Curator (CEMA).

Mobility, Memory, and the performance of Bousaadiya in Libya

Episode 159: Mobility, Memory, and the performance of Bousaadiya in Libya

In this podcast, Dr. Leila Tayeb, Assistant Professor in Residence in the Communication and Liberal Arts Programs at Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q), explores the cultural politics of mobility and memory in Libya. Looking at Bousaadiya, a figure who has been performed in many iterations throughout North Africa, she offers a reading of these performance practices as a space in which Libyans enact and contest practices of belonging. Tayeb describes how performance, and specifically dance, creates a frame through which to observe political, historical, and cultural phenomena. Highlighting repetition as an important element of performance, she argues that mimesis of certain practices over time can serve to reinstantiate – or disrupt – power structures. Bousaadiya performance practices, Tayeb argues, serve as a space in which Libyans grapple with the unresolved history of the trans-Saharan slave trade which took place in Libya for centuries and persisted even after it was
formally abolished. Reading Bousaadiya through these lenses allows for an excavation of this history, its legacies, and opportunities for repair.

Leila Tayeb is Assistant Professor in Residence in the Communication and Liberal Arts Programs at Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q). She earned her PhD in performance studies from Northwestern University and holds an MA in performance studies from New York University (NYU) and an MA in international affairs from The New School. Leila is an interdisciplinary scholar of performance and politics, focusing on topics including sound and militarism in daily life, dance studies, digital intimacies, race and indigeneity in North Africa, and state-sponsored performance. Her writing has appeared in the Arab Studies Journal, the Journal of North African Studies, Communication and the Public, and Lateral. Together with Adam Benkato and Amina Zarrugh, Leila is a founding member of the editorial collective of the multilingual, open-access publication Lamma: A Journal of Libyan Studies. The article that Leila discusses in this episode, “To Follow Bousaadiya: Mobility and Memory in Libyan Cultural Politics,” is forthcoming in the Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication in English and is in the process of being translated into Arabic for subsequent publication. Leila can be reached at leila-tayeb@northwestern.edu.

This episode is part of the “Libya Studies” lecture series and was recorded via Zoom on the 22^nd of February, 2023 by the Centre d'Études Maghrébines à Tunis (CEMAT) 

We thank Hisham Errish, a music composer and oud soloist, for his interpretation of “When the Desert Sings” in the introduction and conclusion of this podcast.

Posted by: Hayet Yebbous Bensaid, Librarian, Outreach Coordinator, Content Curator (CEMA).

 

Simulation and Simulacra in the Tripoli Trade Fairs

Episode 158: Simulation and Simulacra in the Tripoli Trade Fairs

In this podcast, Stephanie Malia Hom, Associate Professor of Transnational Italian Studies at the University of California - Santa Barbara, discusses her work on colonial Libya. She applies Jean Baudrillard's ideas of simulacra and simulation to make sense of the way that Italian authorities constructed the Tripoli Trade Fairs (1927-1939) as an idealized vision of Libya, and the Italian colonial empire more broadly, while simultaneously applying violent practices in Cyrenaica to crush anti-colonial rebellion. She ultimately argues that the pavilions at the Tripoli Trade Fairs "belie an insecurity on the part of Italian colonizers to demonstrate the worth of their own enterprise." Throughout her work, Hom raises questions about mobility, hyperreality, imperialism, nationalism, violence, aesthetics, and spatial production while depicting how these themes are profoundly intertwined.

Stephanie Malia Hom is Associate Professor of Transnational Italian Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She writes and lectures on modern Italy and the Mediterranean, mobility studies, colonialism and imperialism, migration and detention, and tourism history and practice. Prior to her appointment at UCSB, she served as Executive Director of the Berkeley-based nonprofit organization, Acus Foundation, and before that, as Presidential Professor of Italian at the University of Oklahoma.

She is the author of Empire's Mobius Strip: Historical Echoes in Italy's Crisis of Migration and Detention (Cornell, 2019), which won the 2019 AAIS Book Prize (20^th and 21^st century), and The Beautiful Country: Tourism and the Impossible State of Destination Italy (Toronto, 2015). She also co-edited with Ruth Ben-Ghiat, the edited volume Italian Mobilities (Routledge, 2016), and with Claudio Fogu and Laura E. Ruberto the special issue of California Italian Studies (2019) on “Borderless Italy/Italia senza frontiere.” Her essays and articles have been published in wide range of venues, including the leading journals in the fields of Italian studies, tourism history, urban studies, and folklore. She has also worked as a journalist in the U.S. and Europe.

For her research, Hom has been awarded fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies, American Academy in Rome, American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Harvard University, Stanford Humanities Center, and The Nantucket Project.

She earned her MA and PhD in Italian Studies at UC Berkeley, and a BA with honors in International Relations from Brown University.

This podcast was recorded via Zoom by the Centre d'Études Maghrébines à Tunis (CEMAT) on December 13, 2022 with Luke Scalone, CEMAT Chargé de Programmes.

We thank Hishem Errish, a music composer and oud soloist, for his interpretation of “When the Desert Sings” in the introduction and conclusion of this podcast.

Posted by: Hayet Yebbous Bensaid, Librarian, Outreach Coordinator, Content Curator (CEMA).

Beit El Bennani, l’histoire d’une archive familiale en Tunisie

Episode 157: Beit El Bennani, l’histoire d’une archive familiale en Tunisie

Dans ce podcast, Mohamed Bennani, propriétaire de Beit El Bennani, une bibliothèque privée à Tunis, parle de l’histoire de sa collection, construite depuis cinq générations et qui abrite des livres rares, des correspondances et d’autres vestiges offerts par des familles.

À travers cet entretien, Mohamed Bennani répond aux questions suivantes : comment les collections privées peuvent-elles être un complément aux grandes archives publiques ? et comment un archiviste qui a construit sa propre bibliothèque peut-il guider des chercheurs de façon plus personnelle ?

Grâce à son projet actuel en partenariat avec l'American Institut for Maghrib Studies (AIMS) pour la restauration, la digitalisation et l’indexation de la collection de Mahmoud Djellouli, Bennani nous aide à comprendre comment l’accès direct à des documents peut changer l’expérience d’un(e) chercheur(e), notamment en leur offrant l’opportunité de parler directement avec le restaurateur de ses archives. De plus, il explique à quel point la numérisation de l’archive familiale de Djellouli, diplomate, commerçant, et armateur tunisien, représente un ajout important au patrimoine de la Tunisie et de toute la Méditerranée.

Mohamed Bennani, issu de la 5ème génération de la famille Bennani, est un ancien représentant de la Ligue Arabe à Bruxelles, chargé des relations avec l’Union Européenne. En 1995, Il a hérité de la maison familiale ainsi que de sa riche bibliothèque. Il a donc volontiers ouvert les portes de la seule bibliothèque tunisienne privée fonctionnant à plein temps, pour les chercheurs, les étudiants et les éditeurs. Beit El Bennani abrite plus de 25 000 livres et manuscrits historiques de la Tunisie dont 6000 sont mis gratuitement à la disposition du public."

Cet épisode a été enregistré par le Centre d'Études Maghrébines à Tunis (CEMAT) le 09 décembre 2022, à Beit El Bennani, Tunis.

Nous remercions Bacem Affès, compositeur de musique et soliste de oud, pour son interprétation de « Isteftah » dans l'introduction et la conclusion de ce podcast.

Posté par: Hayet Yebbous Bensaid, Bibliothécaire / Chargée de la diffusion des activités scientifiques (CEMA). 

Comment disséminer les leçons algériennes ? Nils Anderson et la naissance du ”Tiers-mondisme” 1957-1969

Episode 156: Comment disséminer les leçons algériennes ? Nils Anderson et la naissance du "Tiers-mondisme" 1957-1969

Dans ce podcast, Pr. Todd Shepard, historien à l'Université Johns Hopkins présente une conférence intitulée : Comment disséminer les leçons algériennes ? Nils Anderson et la naissance du ‘ Tiers-mondisme’ 1957-1969. À l'époque de la décolonisation, un nouveau type de maison d'édition a vu le jour dans plusieurs pays d'Europe occidentale, qui a introduit dans le débat public des vérités coloniales autrement réduites au silence. Une lutte anticoloniale en particulier a catalysé la tendance générale : la révolution algérienne.

Le plus intrigant des nouveaux éditeurs européens nés de la lutte algérienne est La Cité, qui est le fruit des efforts de Nils Andersson. L'opération d'Andersson a vite adopté une position qui était politique plutôt que seulement morale : pas simplement « contre la torture » mais un alignement clair sur la lutte de libération du FLN. Cette conférence explore comment ces efforts ont donné lieu à de nouveaux moyens de distribuer la pensée critique.

Todd Shepard est professeur d'histoire à Arthur O. Lovejoy et co-directeur du programme d'étude des femmes, du genre et de la sexualité à Johns Hopkins Université. Sa recherche explore la France et l'Empire français du XXe siècle, en mettant l'accent sur la façon dont l'impérialisme se croise avec les histoires de l'identité nationale, des institutions d’état, de la race et de la sexualité. Son premier livre, The Invention of Decolonization: The Algerian War and the Remaking of France (2006) a remporté plusieurs prix ; une traduction française révisée et mise à jour est parue sous le titre : 1962, Comment l'indépendance algérienne a transformé la France (2008). Sa deuxième monographie, Mâle décolonisation. L'«homme arabe» et la France, de l'indépendance algérienne à la révolution iranienne  (2017) est paru en anglais sous le titre de Sex, France, and Arab Men, 1962-1979. Il est l’auteur de Voices of Decolonization: A Brief History with Documents (2014) et de nombreux articles ainsi qu’en tant que co-éditeur de Guerre d'Algérie. Le sexe outrage(2016, avec Catherine Brun) et French Mediterraneans: Transnational and Imperial Histories (2016, avec Patricia M.E. Lorcin)

Cet épisode, enregistré le 31 janvier 2023 a été co-organisé par le Centre d'Études Maghrébines en Algérie (CEMA) et le Centre de Recherche en Anthropologie Sociale et Culturelle (CRASC).

Dr  Amar Mohand Amar, Historien et chercheur au CRASC a modéré le débat.

Pour consulter les diaporamas associés à ce podcast veuillez visiter notre site web www.themaghribpodcast.com,

* Découvrez également le premier podcast de Todd Shepard: épisode 71: Sex, France, and Arab Men, 1962-1979

 

Nous remercions notre ami Mohammed Boukhoudmi pour son interpretation de l'extrait de nouba, "Dziriya," par Dr. Noureddine Saoudi pour l'introduction et la conclusion de ce podcast.

Réalisation et montage: Hayet Yebbous Bensaid, Bibliothécaire / Chargée de la diffusion des activités scientifiques (CEMA). 

Les modèles théoriques des sciences sociales à l’épreuve du terrain

Episode 155: Les modèles théoriques des sciences sociales à l’épreuve du terrain

Il ne peut y avoir de doute que Pierre Bourdieu, qui reste parmi les sociologues français les mieux connus dans le monde entier, a forgé ses concepts théoriques principaux en Algérie, pendant la guerre de libération. Des travaux récents, appuyés sur les travaux de Bourdieu et surtout sur les archives laissées par ses collègues et collaborateurs algériens, notamment Abdelmalek Sayad, nous permettent de mieux saisir les conditions des recherches de terrain en contexte de guerre, de violence et d’une déstructuration sociale extrême. Avec le recul, ils nous permettent aussi de voir les lacunes des travaux de Bourdieu sur l’Algérie, notamment par rapport à son appréciation de la réflexion politique locale et des pratiques d’autogestion et d’autonomie. Même si Bourdieu fait comme si elles n’existaient pas, il ne peut y avoir de doutes que ces pratiques persistaient en Algérie rurale malgré les dégâts profonds de la domination coloniale. Le cas de Bourdieu est donc un cas d’étude par excellence pour étudier à la fois l’apport et les limites des terrains empiriques. Il indique la nécessité, pour tout chercheur, d’une réflexivité poussée et continue pour identifier ses propres points aveugles, et pour relativiser et ainsi enrichir ses préconceptions théoriques. 

Judith Scheele est anthropologue avec un intérêt particulier pour les sociétés sahariennes et celles qui les avoisinent. Elle a effectué des terrains longs en Algérie, au Mali et au Tchad. Elle étudie plus particulièrement les échanges commerciaux et autres, la mobilité, et les interdépendances au niveau local et régional, dans le but de développer une approche comparative qui permettrait d’aborder le Sahara en tant que région, dans des termes suggérés par sa propre ethnographie et histoire.

Ses travaux précédents ont porté sur la construction du local en Kabylie (Village Matters, 2006), les relations transfrontalières entre le sud algérien et le nord du Mali (Smugglers and Saints, 2012), et les structures sociales et économiques particulières de la ville de Faya-Largeau au nord du Chad (Value of Disorder, 2019). Elle a aussi animé des projets interdisciplinaires, notamment avec des historiens, pour produire des ouvrages ayant trait au Sahara (Saharan Frontiers, 2012, avec James McDougall), à l’anthropologie du droit (Legalism, 2012-15, avec Paul Dresch et Fernanda Pirie), et à l’anthropologie du Moyen Orient et de l’Afrique du Nord au sens large (Scandal of Continuity, 2019, avec Andrew Shryock). En ce moment, elle réfléchit à comment les mobilisations contestataires actuelles dans la région, et des traditions et institutions politiques régionales, peuvent nous encourager à repenser la théorie politique dominante.

(Bio extraite du site de l’EHESS)

Cet episode a été enregistré le 11 janvier 2023 au Centre d'Études Maghrébines en Algérie (CEMA). Pr. Karim Ouaras, Université d’Oran 2 / CEMA a modéré le débat.

Nous remercions notre ami Ignacio Villalón, pour sa prestation à la guitare pour l'introduction et la conclusion de ce podcast.

 

Réalisation et montage: Hayet Yebbous Bensaid, Bibliothécaire / Chargée de la diffusion des activités scientifiques (CEMA). 

حماية التراث الليبي من خلال تقوية الرابط بين المجتع و تاريخه

الحلقة 154: حماية التراث الليبي من خلال تقوية الرابط  بين المجتع و تاريخه

في هذا البودكاست، يتحدث خليفة البشباش ،باحث في تاريخ ليبيا، عن المجلة الإلكترونية والمطبوعة  History of Libya التي اسسها والتي تعد بمثابة مشروع تاريخي توثيقي وثقافي، يشرف عليه مجموعة من الشباب اللذين يقومون بجمع المعلومات حول التراث والتاريخ الليبي و عرضها بطريقة مبسطة و ميسرة للقارئ بالرغم من نقص المعلومات الدقيقة والموثوقة حول هذه المواضيع داخل الوطن وصعوبة اقتنائها من خارجه.

يسلط خليفة البشباش الضوء على اهمية حماية التاريخ والتراث الليبي المادي و اللامادي من خلال ضمها الى قوائم التراث في الهيئات الوطنية و الدولية المعنية بالامر مثل IASESCO و UNESCO 

ورغم أن درجة اهتمام الشعب بالتراث تختلف، فمن الواجب حمايتها على كل المستويات – تنظيميا وقانونيا واجتماعيا وتعليميا – لأنها تساهم في تكوين الهوية الجامعة.  لذلك تسعى هذه المجلة لإثراء المحتوى الفكري والعلمي والثقافي، و رفع مستوى الوعي لدى المجتمع  فيما يخص التاريخ و الإرث الإنساني و الذاكرة الوطنية في ليبيا، و فتح نوافذ على ماضي هذه الأرض لتقليص الفارق المعرفي و تقوية الرابط بين المجتع و موروثه بغية المحافضة عليه

تم تسجيل هذه الحلقة من طرف مركزالدراسات المغاربية بتونسCEMAT  في 28 سبتمبر 2022 في إطار The 2022 AIMS Humanities and Arts Conference on Libya

Rencontre avec Ahmed Mahiou autour de son ouvrage: Au fil du temps et des événements, Mémoires.

Episode 153: Rencontre avec Ahmed Mahiou autour de son ouvrage: Au fil du temps et des événements, Mémoires.

Dans ce podcast, Pr. Ahmed Mahiou, ancien doyen de la Faculté de Droit d’Alger, ancien directeur de l’IREMAM, ancien président de la Commission pour le Droit international, et ancien juge ad hoc à la Cour internationale de Justice, présente son dernier ouvrage Au fil du temps et des événements, Mémoires.

« Bien que j'aie lu un certain nombre de mémoires de personnages historiques connus ou de personnes privées, parfois inconnues, l'idée d'écrire mes Mémoires n'a germé que très tardivement. Jusqu'à la fin de la décennie 2010, je ne voyais pas de raison particulière d'en écrire. C'est l'enchaînement de quelques circonstances qui ont finalement fait naître l'envie, puis le besoin de les écrire, en privilégiant l'approche du témoin des événements vécus et commentés.

Le lecteur constatera que je parle essentiellement de mon itinéraire professionnel, avec le parcours de l'élève, l'étudiant, l'enseignant, le diplomate, l'arbitre international, le législateur international, le juge international et enfin le retraité provençal. C'est la trame ou le plan qui sera retenu. Il ne m'apparaissait pas utile ou opportun d'évoquer outre mesure les rapports familiaux ou amicaux qui ont jalonné cet itinéraire dont, cependant, quelques brefs éléments sont mentionnés dans les deux premiers chapitres.

Quelques autres éléments apparaîtront également, dans d'autres chapitres, mais juste dans la mesure où ils s'avèrent nécessaires pour la compréhension de ce qui est évoqué et écrit. En revanche, il m'a semblé utile et opportun de témoigner sur des faits et événements auxquels j'ai été mêlé, en les relatant de la manière la plus objective possible et, surtout, en les éclairant par la façon dont je les ai vécus au moment de leur déroulement, pour approuver ou désapprouver.

Cela permet, directement ou indirectement, de contribuer à enrichir la connaissance d'épisodes de l'histoire interne et externe de l'Algérie, pays auquel je reste profondément attaché, quelles que soient les diverses contingences du moment ».

(Texte tiré de la 4ème de couverture : Mahiou, Ahmed, 2022. Au fil du temps et des événements, Mémoires, Éditions Barzakh, Alger.)

Les débats de cette rencontre on été modérés par Manssour Kedidir, docteur en sciences politiques.

Cette conférence a été co-organisée par le Centre d'Études Maghrébines en Algérie (CEMA) et le  Centre de Recherche Scientifique et Technique en Anthropologie Sociale et Culturelle (CRASC). Elle a eu lieu le 24 octobre 2022 et a été suivie d’une vente dédicace.

Retrouvez également l'episode de Ahmed Mahiou sur Le Maghreb Aujourd'hui.

Nous remercions notre ami Ignacio Villalón, pour sa prestation à la guitare pour l'introduction et la conclusion de ce podcast.

Réalisation et montage: Hayet Yebbous Bensaid, Bibliothécaire / Chargée de la diffusion des activités scientifiques (CEMA). 

Making Space(s) for Arts and Culture in Libya

Episode 152: Making Space(s) for Arts and Culture in Libya

In this episode, Hadia Gana, founder of Bayt Ali Gana, and Faraj Alsileeni, Cultural Manager at Tanarout Organization for Libyan Creativity, share their experiences opening community spaces for art and culture in Libya. Providing two generations of perspective, the speakers find commonalities in their trials and successes. While budget remains an elusive problem and support from governing institutions can be fickle, both Gana and Alsileeni have found strength in building community networks including within their own families. Above all, the leaders seek strategies for sustainability. Reflecting on Libya’s past and present, they raise the questions: To what extent could traditional tribal systems be integrated into this new burgeoning cultural sphere? How to convince the public that art can be a powerful tool for change? And amidst the current political uncertainty, what are the spaces in which ongoing cultural education can take place?

Faraj Alsileeni is the Cultural Manager of Tanarout Organization for Libyan Creativity, an arts and cultural center in Benghazi, Libya. Opened in 2015, Tanarout offers exhibitions, theater performances, workshops, a book circle, a cinema club, and an open arts space for the community. Alsileeni is also a Resource Center Officer for Civil Society at ACTED Libya. He is an active cinema blogger and cinema researcher, recently presenting his first paper, “The Libyan in the Others Screen,” at the cultural policies symposium of Axiology magazine at the Libyan International University. He is a fellow researcher with Network for Arab Alternative Screens.

Hadia Gana is a pottery artist and founder of Gana House for Arts, a cultural space in Tripoli that includes an archive and museum of Ali Gana’s art works and art research. Hadia was appointed in late 2018 as a Board Member at the Old City of Tripoli Administration Bureau that manages the restoration and rehabilitation of the heritage site, including public and private cultural spaces. 

This podcast is part of "Libya Studies" lecture series and was recorded at Centre d'Études Maghrébines à Tunis (CEMAT) on October 9, 2022 at Bait Al Hikma in Tunis, as part of the 2022 AIMS Arts & Humanities Conference on Libya. 

We thank Hisham Errish, a music composer and an Oud soloist, for his interpretation of “ One Song of Libya ” in the introduction and conclusion of this podcast.

 

Posted by: Hayet Yebbous Bensaid, Librarian, Outreach Coordinator, Content Curator (CEMA).

En hommage à feu Rachid Sidi Boumedine (Décédé le 07 novembre 2022): Céramiques d’Alger, toute une histoire

Episode 151: En hommage à feu Rachid Sidi Boumedine (Décédé le 07 novembre 2022): Céramiques d'Alger, toute une histoire

Dans ce podcast, feu Rachid Sidi Boumedine, sociologue et urbaniste à l'Université d'Alger a présenté son dernier ouvrage intitulé Céramiques d'Alger, toute une histoire.

« Le travail de Rachid Sidi Boumedine vient après un parcours assez diversifié et des écrits sur l’urbanisme et est assez novateur dans la mesure où il ne s’attache pas outre mesure à la technique de fabrication du carreau de céramique, même s’il trace l’évolution dans divers pays, mais au cheminement de cet objet venu de toutes parts pour élire à jamais domicile chez nous et faire partie de notre histoire.

Son travail ne revient pas à figer la présentation de ces carreaux sous forme d’un catalogue comme il en existe tant, mais consiste à intégrer leur utilisation dans la décoration des habitations et palais dans le contexte économique et social de l’époque, à savoir la période qui va du XVIIe au  XIXe siècle inclus.

Et la nomenklatura du régime ottoman, les grands négociants et les raïs qui commandaient la flotte étaient assez riches pour acquérir ces carreaux coûteux  pour décorer leurs demeures et leurs palais, créant au passage une «façon de faire» et un «goût» dominant et donnant aux constructions de la Casbah cette beauté et ce charme si particulier, devenus notre patrimoine. »

(Texte tiré de la 4ème de couverture : Sidi Boumedine, Rachid, 2021. Céramiques d'Alger, toute une histoire, ANEP Éditions, Alger.)

Les débats de cette rencontre on été modérés par Djilali Tahraoui, architecte-enseignant et directeur de la Revue de l’Urbanisme, de l’Architecture et de la Construction MADINATI.

Cette conférence a été organisée par Centre d'Études Maghrébines en Algérie (CEMA) en collaboration avec le Centre de Recherche en Anthropologie Sociale et Culturelle (CRASC), l’Université des Sciences et de la Technologie d’Oran (USTO) et la Revue de l’Urbanisme, de l’Architecture et de la Construction  (MADINATI). Elle a eu lieu le 10 janvier 2022 et a été suivie d’une vente dédicace.

Nous remercions notre ami Ignacio Villalón, pour sa prestation à la guitare pour l'introduction et la conclusion de ce podcast.

 

Réalisation et montage: Hayet Yebbous Bensaid, Bibliothécaire / Chargée de la diffusion des activités scientifiques (CEMA). 

A Critical Analysis of Heritage Preservation in Libya

Episode 150: A Critical Analysis of Heritage Preservation in Libya

In this podcast, AIMS Cultural Heritage Fellow Reem Furjani discusses her research in the Old City of Tripoli, the field of critical heritage studies and her work bridging scholarly research and practice. Cultural heritage studies is a burgeoning academic field that seeks to contribute and expand classic work on heritage practices by introducing bottom-up approaches to preservation theory and practice. Reem’s work specifically integrates the involvement, thoughts and practices of inhabitants in preserving sites and spaces. In this approach, heritage moves beyond a static condition and instead becomes a living, and dynamic area of focus. Furjani eloquently condenses this academic field into approachable terms, thereby putting her own work in critical heritage studies into practice. The debate on heritage is not and should not be approached as something exclusive and limited to a field of technical experts, but as an inclusive movement that takes into consideration those living and experiencing heritage every day. Furjani integrates examples and experiences from her own work, specifically her various projects in the Old city of Tripoli, throughout this talk.

Reem Furjani is a cultural activist and researcher focused on critical heritage studies and cultural democracy. She is the founder and director of Scene, a non-profit that protects cultural heritage in Tripoli. She is completing her PhD and holds a Masters Degree in Architecture from Cardiff University. Furjani was the AIMS Libya Cultural Heritage Fellow and is currently a fellow at the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies.

This podcast is part of "Libya Studies" series and was recorded at Centre d'Études Maghrébines à Tunis (CEMAT) on April 26, 2022 with Neely Egan, the CEMAT Cultural History of Tourism Researcher. 

We thank Dr. Jonathan Glasser, Cultural Anthropologist at au College of William & Mary, for his istikhbar in sika on viola for the introduction and conclusion of this podcast.

 

Edited & Posted by: Hayet Lansari, Librarian, Outreach Coordinator, Content Curator (CEMA).

Roman Dougga (Thougga), Heritage Preservation in an Antique City

Episode 149: Roman Dougga (Thougga)

Heritage Preservation in an Antique City

Dougga (Thugga) is one the best-preserved Roman towns in North Africa and it is just an hour and a half away from the capital Tunis in the governorate of Jendouba. Because of its excellent preservation and its position as a popular tourist attraction, Dougga serves as a wonderful example and experience of one of the many spaces of cultural heritage in Tunisia.

In this podcast, Prof. Mounir Khélifa guides listeners through the basic history of Dougga and contextualizes broader discussions of cultural heritage in Tunisia. In his analysis of this specific ancient Roman site, he outlines what Tunisians need to prioritize as they move forward in their journey of preserving cultural heritage. Seeing as though Tunisia has a long and beautiful history it is up to individuals as well as the government and private organizations to protect and celebrate Tunisia’s culture. 

As a former professor and now director of the School for International Training study abroad program in Tunisia, Prof. Khélifa is well practiced in condensing thousands of years of history for listeners that are new to Tunisia. He works diligently to make sure his students understand Tunisia at a historical and political level by connecting multiple lines of thought. 

Mounir Khelifa studied English at the Sorbonne and Yale where he received his MA and PhD. A professor of English language and literature at Tunis University he has taught for more than three decades poetry, poetics, literary theory and comparative literature. In addition to teaching, he has also been a director of English graduate studies and a senior advisor in the cabinet of the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, responsible for international cooperation and curricular reform. In 2012, he was made a lifetime member of the Tunisian Academy for the Arts, Letters, and Science.

This episode is part of « Cultural Heritage Conservation in the Maghrib » lecture series organized by the Centre d'Études Maghrébines à Tunis (CEMAT). It was recorded at the CEMAT on April 19, 2022 with Neely Egan, the CEMAT Cultural History of Tourism Fellow. 

To see related slides please visit our website: www.themaghribpodcast.com

We thank Dr. Jonathan Glasser, Cultural Anthropologist at au College of William & Mary, for his istikhbar in sika on viola for the introduction and conclusion of this podcast.

 

Posted by: Hayet Lansari, Librarian, Outreach Coordinator, Content Curator (CEMA).

Cultural Preservation in the Medina of Tunis: A Conversation with Leila Ben Gacem

Episode 148: Cultural Preservation in the Medina of Tunis: A Conversation with Leila Ben Gacem

In this podcast, Leila Ben Gacem discusses her projects in the Tunis medina working to preserve physical spaces as well as support, promote and protect local artisans. Her work includes but is not limited to Dar Ben Gacem guest house, Mdiniti (the medina’s first economic interest group), and Dar el Harka (creative industry hub).

Dar Ben Gacem encapsulates her work on physical space in the medina. Starting in 2007 Ben Gacem began the process of renovating a dilapidated, historic building. During this first project, the renovations faced many difficulties including ambiguous governmental regulations and of course a revolution after which social dynamics shifted significantly. Finally in 2013, the first Dar Ben Gacem opened as a boutique hotel in the medina of Tunis, followed by a second Dar renovation project shortly thereafter. Together these two hotels have opened their doors to countless guests from all over the world and hosted events with artisans, chefs and startups. 

Mdiniti, a more recent effort, is an economic initiative that represents 17 different start-ups, artisans and businesses that all have the same goal: revitalizing and celebrating the culture of the Tunis medina. As individuals, these representatives would not have much sway, but as a conglomerate, their collective voices can influence change at a higher level. 

This work on reviving cultural heritage is not isolated. Ben Gacem explains that the problems her organizations face are a product of more complex issues, including how the increase in the high school dropout rate trickles down and affects efforts to revitalize the medina. By addressing these hurdles as a part of her programming with Dar el Harka, a coworking space that encourages student involvement and provides study spaces, Ben Gacem ends up revitalizing more than just spaces in the medina. 

This podcast sheds light on a thoughtful and diligent leader in the medina of Tunis. Leila Ben Gacem’s initiatives prove that efforts are forever being made, not without a struggle, to preserve the history and culture of Tunis. 

Leila Ben-Gacem is a social entrepreneur, Ashoka Fellow, founder of Blue Fish, a consultancy that designs and implements projects to improve the economic dynamics of heritage to improve its resilience. Leila also founded Dar el Harka, a creative industry hub; Dar Ben Gacem, a Boutique Hotel and cultural catalyst in the medina of Tunis. Leila is also a founder and president of Mdinti, Medina’s first economic interest group, and member of the organization committee of UltraMirage El Djerid. Leila is an elected city council member at Beni Khalled. Before switching careers, Leila held various positions at multinational corporations and has a BS in Biomedical Engineering.

This episode is part of « Cultural Heritage Conservation in the Maghrib » lecture series organized by the Centre d'Études Maghrébines à Tunis (CEMAT). It was recorded at Dar Ben Gacem on Friday April 15, 2022 with Neely Egan, the CEMAT Cultural History of Tourism Fellow. 

 

We thank our friend Ignacio Villalón for his guitar performance for the introduction and conclusion of this podcast. 

 

Posted by: Hayet Lansari, Librarian, Outreach Coordinator, Content Curator (CEMA).

A History of Franco-Muslim Education in Morocco and in Northwest Africa

Episode 147: A History of Franco-Muslim Education in Morocco and in Northwest Afric

Between the 1850s and 1950s, colonial schools called médersas combined elements of French and Islamic educational traditions. First created in Algeria in 1850, the schools spread to the West African colonies of Senegal, French Soudan (today Mali), and Mauritania. The place of Morocco in this history is the subject of this discussion. In the 1910s, early in the protectorate period, the French established two “collèges musulmans,” the Collège Moulay Idriss in Fes and the Collège Moulay Youssef in Rabat. These were similar to the médersas in their curriculum and institutional framework; several of their directors had experience running médersas in Algeria and Senegal. In a field that remains deeply structured by national borders and by the notion of a “Saharan Divide” between North and West Africa, this research reveals close connections between societies usually considered in isolation.

Dr. Samuel Anderson is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of History at Pomona College in Claremont, California. He received a PhD in African History from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2018. His research focuses on education, race, and religion in northwest African Muslim societies under colonial rule. His current project examines the médersas, so-called “Franco-Muslim” schools, that combined Islamic and European curricula in a French effort to colonize Islamic schooling and the Muslim elite in the Maghrib and West Africa. He has conducted research on this topic in Algeria, Mauritania, Senegal, France, and now Morocco, with the support of the American Institute for Maghrib Studies (AIMS), the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC), and other organizations. Portions of this project have been published in the journals Islamic Africa and History in Africa.

This episode was recorded on July 22st, 2022 at the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM). 

Posted by Hayet Lansari, Librarian, Outreach Coordinator, Content Curator (CEMA).

The Worlds of Safia Farhat

Episode 146: The Worlds of Safia Farhat

 

In this podcast, the visual artist Slim Gomri speaks about his role in preserving the artistic legacy of Tunisian fibre artist Safia Farhat (1924-2004). Having worked for a number of years at the Abdallah and Safia Farhat Foundation in Radès, near Tunis, Gomri has been involved in the programming of both the Centre des arts vivants and the Safia Farhat Museum in Radès. Established by Safia Farhat in 1982, the Centre des arts vivants offers residencies for artists and workshops in calligraphy, ceramics, textiles, photography, etching, and painting. The Safia Farhat Museum, which opened in 2016, displays Farhat's works, hosts a group exhibition once a year, and organizes film screenings. 

Slim Gomri is a visual artist based in Tunis. His photobook Vie de pêcheurs (2021) is inspired by the artist’s contact with the world of fishermen in different towns along the Tunisian coast. He is currently preparing a film on the fibre artist Safia Farhat, one of the most recognizable artists in Tunisian modern art.

This podcast is part of the Modern Art in the Maghrib series and was recorded on September 22, 2022, by the Centre d'Études Maghrébines à Tunis (CEMAT).

We thank Dr. Jonathan Glasser, Cultural Anthropologist at au College of William & Mary, for his istikhbar in sika on viola for the introduction and conclusion of this podcast.

Edited and Posted by: Hayet Lansari, Librarian, Outreach Coordinator, Content Curator (CEMA).

Landscape and Identity in Medieval Morocco

Episode 145: Landscape and Identity in Medieval Morocco 

In this podcast, Dr. Abbey Stockstill asks the question why does Marrakesh look the way that it does? The 'Red City' is the topic of her forthcoming book, in which she discusses the medieval city’s relationship with its founding dynasties, the local landscape, and Berber politics in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. As the notion of what it meant to be 'Berber' was being defined, the city of Marrakesh emerged as a metropolis that actively engaged the multivalent identities of Almoravids and Almohad dynasties. Rather than taking individual monuments in isolation, Dr. Stockstill’s work looks at how those monuments worked with each other and the local landscape to create a stage for these identities to be expressed. What emerges is a city that is both paradigmatic in its structure, yet innovative in its social and historical context.

Dr. Abbey Stockstill received her Ph.D. in the History of Art & Architecture from Harvard University (2018), and is currently an assistant professor of Islamic art and architecture at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She has contributed essays to academic journals such as Muqarnas and Hésperis-Tamuda, as well as to a number of edited volumes. She is also an assistant editor for the International Journal of Islamic Architecture, and serves on various committees within the International Center for Medieval Art and the Historians of Islamic Art Association. 

This episode was recorded on July 21st, 2022 at the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM). 

Posted by Hayet Lansari, Librarian, Outreach Coordinator, Content Curator (CEMA).

Contemporary Art in Tunisia

Episode 144: Contemporary Art in Tunisia

As part of the AIMS Contemporary Art Fellowship, Ignacio Villalón conducted research into the contemporary art scene in Tunisia, exploring private and public cultural institutions, sources of funding, questions of language, and ongoing challenges. This project culminated in a report, written for academic and non-academic audiences alike. In this podcast, Villalón summarises the main findings of his research, focusing on a few select phenomena in the Tunisian art scene. 

Ignacio Villalón is a writer, researcher, and journalist with a focus on politics and culture in the Mediterranean region. He received his Master's degree in History from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, for which he conducted research on emigration (hijra) in early 20th century Algeria. As AIMS Contemporary Arts Fellow, he carried out research on the arts scene in Tunisia. He has published articles in "Le Quotidien d'Oran" and "Africa is a Country." Ignacio is currently CAORC Social Sciences Fellow.

This interview was recorded on May 13, 2022, via Zoom and led by Katarzyna Falecka, Lecturer in Art History at Newcastle University and Project Coordinator at the Centre d'Études Maghrébines à Tunis (CEMAT)

To see related slides, please visit our website:  www.themaghribpodcast.com

 

We thank our friend Ignacio Villalón, AIMS contemporary art follow for his guitar performance of A vava Inouva of Idir for the introduction and conclusion of this podcast. 

 

Edited and Posted by: Hayet Lansari, Librarian, Outreach Coordinator, Content Curator (CEMA).