New episodes in Moroccan nationalism under colonial role: reconsideration of Shakīb Arslān's centrality in light of unpublished materials

Abstract

On the basis of hitherto unstudied materials, the article reconsiders the role of the Druze Prince Shakīb Arslān (1871–1946) on the spirit of Moroccan nationalism during the first half of the 20th century. It analyses one of the aspects of Arslān's life story on the basis of his correspondences with Muḥammad Daoud (1901–1984), a prominent Moroccan nationalist leader, educationist and historian of his hometown Tetouan in Northern Morocco. These letters (approximately 150) are part of a bulky amount of Daoud's archival documents preserved by his daughter Ḥasnā Daoud in Tetouan. Their significance lies actually in their lively reflection of the spirit of vibrancy within Muslim nationalist movements in the inter-war period. The analysis of the Arslān-Daoud connection against the political background of Arslān's impact on North Africa will demonstrate the significance of family archives in the Muslim world, and their usefulness in filling the gap between the macro and micro levels for the understating of the religious and political interaction within East-West transnational networks in the inter-war period.