How to study of religion in the Muslim world: reflection on a field work experience in the middle of Morocco

Abstract

The proposition in this paper is that there are some specific fieldwork techniques the researcher, be it a foreigner or a native, has to implement if s/he wants to overcome the difficulties and risks of field research which are associated with the status of religion, the area under investigation, in Islamic societies such as the Moroccan society. This proposition is based on the author’s fieldwork experience which can be summed up in three particular experiences. First experience: studying the role and status of saint shrines in Doukkala, Morocco. Second experience: studying Islamic books and their readers in the middle of Morocco. Third experience: studying popular religiosity of the Moroccans in Doukkala. It is also based on other foreign researchers' fieldwork experiences in Morocco.