Moroccan Culture Research Articles

A Sephardic female odyssey: homecoming in Ruth Knafo Setton’s The Road to Fez

ABSTRACT Moroccan Jewish writer Ruth Knafo Setton’s novel, The Road to Fez, challenges the Eurocentric silencing of Sephardic female agency. Setton depicts a reverse exile through her main character, Brit, whose return to Morocco subverts the dispossession and uprooting of the Moroccan Sephardim following their forced exile. Central to Setton’s novel is an effort to put emphasis on the Moroccan Judeo-Islamic landscape and mythology. In re-vindicating Moroccan Jewish-Muslim heritage, The Road to Fez further questions the exclusion of Sephardic female voices in Eurocentric readings of Jewishness. Setton presents an alternative Jewish perspective through Moroccan Judeo myths and legends. This article analyzes Setton’s magical realist integration of Moroccan spirituality and superstition into her narrative as an attempt to de-Orientalize the Sephardic female experience. The article argues that Setton incorporates supernatural elements like spell-making and “djnoun” into a realistic setting to express the rich mosaic of Sephardic Moroccan culture and to destabilize pan-Arabist, Zionist and colonial occlusions of Arab Judeo identity.

The Meanings of Face as Manifested in Moroccan Arabic Idioms and Proverbs

Face plays a pivotal role in human interaction. Indeed, it is a multifaceted construct that has various connotative meanings in different cultures. It has been used, in various contexts, to refer to social value, social status, self- image, reputation, dignity, honour, and several other notions. In this regard, the aim of this study is to explore the meanings and concepts associated with face in Moroccan Arabic (MA) idiomatic expressions and proverbs. To achieve this objective, the study used a corpus of 30 items from MA. Many expressions were collected by the researcher using his knowledge of MA as a native speaker and his discussions with different people both face-to-face and on social media. Some items of the corpus were collected from available collections of proverbs. The selection of the data has been based on the principle of currency. The data were transliterated and translated into English to explore the meanings and concepts associated with face in MA. The study showed that face in the Moroccan culture is closely related to shame or Moroccan hshuma and that it is associated with the inner state and character of people more than it does in English.

Eric Calderwood. Colonial al-Andalus: Spain and the Making of Modern Moroccan Culture.

Eric Calderwood. <i>Colonial al-Andalus: Spain and the Making of Modern Moroccan Culture</i>.

Lalami’s Anomic World: (Dis)Engagement with Normlessness and Attempts at Recovery

This article exposes the multi- faceted dimensions of anomie, Emile Durkheim’s highly controversial theory, and the way it applies to Laila Lalami’s novel Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits (2005). This paper draws on Durkheim’s theory and aims at exploring the anomic world Lalami creates in her representation of Morocco during the postcolonial period and the impact of a state of normlessness on her characters’ experiences. Social norms have been blurred and common values and meanings have lost their significance and power to unite individuals due to economic difficulties, globalization, and colonization. The resulting instability and breakdown of ideals has left Lalami’s characters psychologically paralyzed and unsettled by emergent feelings of alienation, confusion, and an inability to deal with a period of cultural and social upheavals and a debilitated community. Eventually, they are forced to face a fractured society that lacks a sense of direction, a purpose in life, and the social cohesion that previously reinforced a collective conscience. The discussion mainly focuses on the disintegration of family and loss of a moral system that regulates society, and various attempts at recovery from such anomic conditions infiltrating Moroccan culture in Lalami’s novel.

Rise of English in Morocco and the Question of Identity

English, as the lingua franca of the world, is gaining considerable popularity in Morocco in response to the calls of globalization, social mobility, and neoliberalism. Given this new status of English in the multilingual scope in Morocco, it is highly interesting to study how learning English in EFL settings influences learners’ identities, namely in tertiary education. This paper introduces an exploratory study that aims to highlight the impact of learning English as a foreign language on students’ self-identities in Morocco. Therefore, the objective of this study is to track any possible impact of the target culture on beliefs, and values learners of English and how exposure to the English language affects their perception of Moroccan culture as English majors. The study also aims at weighing the extent to which students are allowed /pushed to behave outside the norms of their cultural values by adopting an identity change model. This study utilized thematic analysis to qualitatively analyze data from focus group interviews aimed at understanding the impact of learning English as a foreign language on Moroccan students' self-identities. Four key themes emerged from the analysis: 1) self-confidence enhancement, 2) self-identity transformation, 3) identity negotiation in intercultural contexts, and 4) degrees of identity change. The participants' positive attitudes toward learning English and its influence on their self-identities were evident. The findings underscored how English proficiency affects self-confidence, cultural beliefs, and attitudes, revealing a complex interplay between language acquisition and identity shifts. The study contributes to understanding the evolving role of English in Moroccan society and its implications for individual identities amidst globalization.

Eastern Horsefly: Implications of Fatima Mernissi's Work on the Islamic Ethos

This study comprises Fatima Mernissi's discourse analyses on the Islamic ethos and examines how these narratives can be traced in history, providing an archaeological method of research. It explains the conditions under which Islamic normative attitudes, which are replicated through ancient narratives like 1001 Nights Tales, Hosrev and Shirin, Kerem and Asli, become effective. Mernissi challenges the mindset of Western Orientalists' understanding through her observations on the Islamic Middle East in Moroccan culture. The Islamic Middle East, with harem nights and concubines, has always been an element of fantasy for Westerners. However, when the harems are reconsidered through Mernissi's analyses, far beyond what is assumed, harems were a field of exchange where women were not passive but active agents displaying various forms of resistance. The Islamic Middle East defines male-female dynamics with reference to the holy book, the Qur'an, and hadiths of Islam while maintaining its close contact with modernity. Mernissi highlights the search for power resources within the context of gender roles by both men and women in their engagement with modernity. This study examines Mernissi's Scheherazade Goes West: Different Cultures, Different Harems through her arguments on how Scheherazade, the character of 1001 Nights Tales, is instrumentalised to reproduce Islamic normative attitudes in the context of gender roles.

Exploring social dynamics and cross-cultural encounters in Paul Bowles’s translations of Moroccan (oral) literature: insights from Choukri, Layachi, and Mrabet’s narratives

ABSTRACT Paul Bowles’s literary productions, both factual and fictional, were significantly influenced by Moroccan culture, where he resided for over half a century. Despite facing harsh criticism, particularly as postcolonial critique gained prominence in literary circles, Bowles gave life to a collection of stories and life histories from a distinctly Moroccan perspective. Issues of (mis)representation, Orientalism, authority, and authorship of translated works were central to the controversy. This paper delves into the portrayal of self and other within Bowles’s translation of life stories and fiction by his Moroccan collaborators, Choukri, Layachi, and Mrabet. Their narratives are examined in the context of Tangier’s multicultural environment, where sexual, socio-cultural, ethnic, and religious identities are perpetually questioned and negotiated. The paper argues that through collaborative translation, Bowles allowed marginalised voices from the underground of Moroccan society to emerge, subverting stereotypical images perpetuated by colonial hegemony and elitist nationalist discourses. By investigating issues pertaining to (mis)representation, Orientalism, authority, and authorship within these translated works, the study sheds light on the power dynamics and complexities inherent in cross-cultural literary encounters.

Moroccan Cultural Diplomacy: Challenges, Opportunities and Levers of a New Model of Influence and Soft Power

Cultural Diplomacy has emerged as a vector of influence and a potent tool for soft power in international relations. Nowadays, the realm of cultural diplomacy has become fiercely competitive. It leveraged by many countries aware of its pivotal role in increasing their soft power and expanding their sphere of influence. Morocco, a secular kingdom and one of the oldest States in the world, is also keen on investing in the field of cultural diplomacy to bolster its soft power, increase its influence and assert its position as a regional and continental leader in this area. This paper presents a new conceptual model of a Moroccan Diplomacy which takes into account the extremely rich and distinctive cultural heritage of the Kingdom of Morocco, the various achievements in this cultural field. This model is designed to be more integrated, synergistic, well-governed in order to address internal and external challenges and capitalize on the strengths and new opportunities. The paper identifies the main challenges facing Moroccan Cultural Diplomacy that impact its proficiency, including in particular the lack of a global and integrated strategic vision and thinking, limited financial resources, lack of coordination between the different stakeholders and, weak involvement of the private sector and weak culture of assessment and performance measurement. However, the paper also identifies great opportunities, such as its impressively rich cultural heritage, characterized by its multidimensional cultural diversity, which requires a new and innovative approach based on a global and integrated strategic vision. The proposed Model is designed as a new framework based on a benchmark of international best practices of several pioneering countries in the field of cultural diplomacy and combined with a documentary approach and the results of interviews carried out with professionals, managers and experts in this field. It focused on several levers of influence and counter-influence that emphasizes the importance of a global and strategic vision, strong governance standards and structures involving Regions, Cities, Non-Governmental Organizations, Moroccan Diaspora. It focused also on enhanced evaluation and measurement, and a more proactive and innovative approach to promoting Moroccan soft power by investing cultural marketing, Public-Private Partnerships, digitalization and new technologies for networking, cultural creativity and strategic cultural partnerships. The paper argues that a renewed and more strategic approach to cultural diplomacy should be guided and steered by a specialized national agency that would perform the various functions of study, research, monitoring, influence, coordination, policy convergence, control and evaluation at national and international level. Thus, by institutionalizing this strategic, synergistic and holistic approach, we can lay the foundation of a new and innovative model that could help Morocco strengthen its soft power and promote its rich and unique cultural assets and values on the global stage in a more effective manner, and strengthen so its international reputation and influence.

Validation of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) in a Moroccan sample with substance use disorder

BackgroundTranscultural validation studies of depression scales are rare in Morocco. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) is commonly one of the most common and frequently used screening instruments for depressive symptoms, but the scale has not, up to date, been validated in dialect of Arabic in Moroccan contexts. Given the importance of assessing and preventing depressive symptoms in our Moroccan context, this study aims to validate the CES-D, translated, and adapted to the dialect of Arabic and Moroccan culture, in a sample with substance use disorder.MethodsThe data were analyzed in two successive phases. First, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to assess the factor structure in the pilot sample (N = 140). Then, this structure was confirmed in the validation sample (N = 205) using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).ResultsExploratory factor analysis extracted three factors different from the four factors in the original version. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the structure of three factors. The fit indices level showed acceptable to good performance of the measurement model. The instrument showed sufficient reliability and convergent validity, as demonstrated by acceptable values of composite reliability (CR = 0.89–0.93) and average variance extracted (AVE = 0.64–0.66), respectively. The square roots of AVE were higher than factor-factor pairs correlations, and the Heterotrait-Monotrait ratio (HTMT) of correlations values was less than 0.85, indicating acceptable discriminant validity.ConclusionsOverall reliability and both convergent and discriminant validity tests indicated that the Moroccan dialectal Arabic version of the CES-D had a good performance and may serve as a valid tool for measuring the severity of depression in people with substance use disorder.

We are the dreamers, we let it happen: Morocco’s soccer team leadership story

Research methodology This case was based on secondary data that included various websites, news and academic articles, social media posts and press conferences before, during and after the World Cup. Multiple sources were examined to ensure the accuracy and credibility of the information presented in this case. The goal was to gather relevant information on the Moroccan soccer team, its performance in the FIFA World Cup and the leadership strategies used by Walid Regragui. Case overview/synopsis “We are the dreamers, we let it happen: Morocco’s soccer team leadership story” explores the transformative journey of Morocco’s soccer team in the 2022 World Cup, highlighting the exceptional leadership of coach Walid Regragui and the power of shared values deeply rooted in Moroccan culture. The instructional manual provides faculty with a compelling case study to inspire discussions on leadership, followership, team dynamics and cultural identity. The case emphasizes the importance of harnessing cultural roots, building trust and unity within a diverse team, strategic vision and tactical brilliance. It demonstrates that with authentic leadership, belief in shared dreams and the strength of cultural values, extraordinary achievements can be realized. The case aims to inspire and educate students, encouraging them to embrace their own cultural heritage, foster teamwork and pursue their dreams with unwavering determination. Complexity/academic level The academic level of this case can vary depending on the specific course or program in which it is being used. It is suitable for graduate levels in various fields such as leadership studies, sports management, organizational behavior, cultural studies, or international business. The case provides a comprehensive analysis of leadership, team dynamics and cultural identity, including faith and spirituality, making it adaptable for different academic levels and disciplines. Instructors can adjust the depth of analysis and additional readings or activities to align with the specific educational level and learning objectives of their course.

Getting closer to the minority culture: Experimental evidence of cultural enrichment to increase attributions of morality and majority adoption of Moroccan cultural patterns

Acculturation is a bidirectional process in which both the majority and minority groups change as they relate to each other. In Spain, studies have usually focused on the acculturation of minorities (e.g., Moroccans) upon their arrival in Spanish society, but little has been said about the acculturation of the majority. In this study, we analyzed whether making salient the richness of the Moroccan culture can affect the stereotypes of (im)morality of a sample of Spanish participants regarding Moroccan immigrants as well as their attitude toward adopting Moroccan cultural patterns through a process of self-perceived unfreezing of previous beliefs. In a preliminary study, we explored what people of Moroccan origin would like Spaniards to learn from Moroccans. Then, using an intergroup experimental design, we randomly assigned participants to one of the following three conditions: (a) enrichment of Moroccan culture (using excerpts from actual discourses, n = 222), (b) exposure to Moroccan immigration rates (n = 238), or (c) a control condition (n = 181). The results revealed that the participants in the cultural enrichment condition experienced more self-perceived unfreezing of previous beliefs, perceived Moroccans as more moral (only vs. the immigration rates condition), and reduced their resistance to adopting Moroccan cultural patterns, even though the effects were small. Furthermore, self-perceived unfreezing of previous beliefs mediated the effect of the cultural enrichment condition on perceived morality (but not immorality) and on the adoption of Moroccan cultural patterns. We discuss how, by emphasizing the enrichment of Moroccan culture, we can increase the morality attributed to Moroccans and decrease the resistance of Spaniards to adopting that minority culture.

Cultural Mediation in Tourism: Online Promotional Travel Guides as a Case Study

In tourism, mediation refers to the assistance of tourists in their journey. In other words, mediation occurs when the mediator presents the culture of a place to potential tourists while making sure that the cultural elements are clear enough for the tourists to grasp. Culture is an embedded element in tourism promotion. Hence, the mediator must be well grounded in the culture in order to adequately transmit it to the tourists discovering it for the first time. The study relies on excerpts extracted from online travel guides, which have become a widely used means of promotion in “post-pandemic” travel due to their innovative promotional approaches, i.e., considering safety measures. Following a qualitative approach, a comparative study is conducted to explore how culture is “mediated” through four international online travel guides. The focus is on the element of Moroccan culture and the tools employed when it is presented to the English readership.

Aicha: The Representation and Resistance of Moroccan Women in Popular Culture and Cinema

This research paper explores the figure of Aicha in Moroccan popular culture, which represents the historical, mythical, and cultural imagination of Moroccan women. Aicha is portrayed as an intelligent, witty, and powerful woman who challenges and resists patriarchal authority in Moroccan society. The figure of Aicha is rooted in historical and religious discourses, particularly Aisha Bint Abu Bakr, the Prophet’s wife, who symbolizes autonomy, power, and resistance in the Arab-Islamic context. This paper also examines how Aicha is shaped by other historical and cultural figures, such as female saints in different Moroccan regions, who reinforce Aisha’s representation through their ideals and actions. The paper argues that marriage in Moroccan culture is used to oppress and configure women to traditional gender roles. Aicha challenges this patriarchal order by presenting a female protagonist who refuses to be silenced or dominated through marriage. Through a detailed analysis of Fatima Bobakdy’s Aicha Douiba (2003) and Farida Belyazid’s Kid Nsaa (1999), this paper examines how these movies present an alternative discursive structure that resists the dominant patriarchal order and offers a new representation of Moroccan women in cinema. The research paper also highlights the historical approach to analyzing movies by examining their socioeconomic and cultural context.

Politeness in a Moroccan EFL Classroom: How Students of High School Using Apologizing Strategies in English?

This qualitative/quantitative study investigates Moroccan high school EFL learners’ apologizing strategies based upon a theoretical framework of politeness strategies and the Cross-Cultural Speech Act Realization Patterns (CCSARP) model. It investigates whether they approach native speakers’ apology norms or their own cultural way of apologizing. To achieve this goal, four first-year baccalaureate classes (Science Experimental Physics major) were observed and then a sample of 64 subjects was randomly selected to fill in a written discourse completion test which had 6 apology situations. All the responses are classified according to both politeness strategies and CCSARP model used by Blum-kulka et al. (1989). The observed classes during the training showed that Moroccan first-year baccalaureate students used an off-record super strategy while apologizing (the use of hints) to the teacher, whereas the teacher used positive politeness while addressing his pupils. The results of the discourse completion test (DCT) revealed that Illocutionary indicating devices (IFIDs) plus an explanation of account (IFIDs + Account) is the most frequently used apology strategy by the subjects. More than 60% employed this semantic formula in all six situations. The use of IFIDs and explanation of account were significantly linked to the effect of subjects’ L1 and due to the impact of their own collective-agency culture. Hence, choosing to use that strategy by the subjects was pragmatically unsuccessful and would be inappropriate by the apologizer since it does not meet the apology norms of native speakers of English, and it indicates and follows the Moroccan culture norms and rules. The paper concludes with some practical suggestions for improving the teaching of apologies.

Discussing the unspoken: A qualitative analysis of online forum discussions on mental health problems in young Moroccan-Dutch migrants.

Migrants and their offspring are at increased risk of developing mental disorders. Previous research has shown associations between adverse social factors (e.g., discrimination, lack of social support) and mental health problems in migrants, but it is unknown how these associations are understood by migrants themselves. In this study, we aimed to gain explorative insight into the way young Moroccan-Dutch people experience their social environment, and how they relate this social environment to the development of mental health problems. At www.marokko.nl, the largest online discussion platform for young Moroccan-Dutch people, contributors discuss a broad variety of subjects, including societal, cultural, religious, and mental health issues. Combining deductive and inductive approaches to qualitative data analysis, we analysed 22 forum discussions at marokko.nl about mental health problems, after which data saturation was reached. Contributors described feeling isolated and experiencing discrimination in their social environment. Contributor comments identified social challenges arising from Dutch society, Dutch culture (e.g., being too individualistic), Moroccan culture (e.g., strict parenting style), and living between these two cultures. These social challenges are perceived to be associated with mental health problems. Furthermore, we created a model describing the different types of explanations contributors used for mental health problems, being: religious (e.g., possession); medical (i.e., a bio-psycho-social cause); or a combination of both. This model can help clinicians in delivering culturally sensitive mental health care. Lastly, this study shows the taboo on mental health problems in the Moroccan-Dutch population and the opportunity to open up in the online environment.

#Mixedcouples on TikTok: Performative Hybridization and Identity in the Face of Discrimination

Spanish-Moroccan mixed couples exemplify a case of cultural hybridization that reflects the colonial past between these two countries. In this context, social media is a space of opportunity and risk to face discrimination and othering. In this article, we draw upon postcolonial theory and Internet studies to consider TikTok affordances as tools that are relevant to understand how cultural, national, and religious identities are shaped and presented in digital spaces. In this sense, this study constitutes the first exploratory analysis of Moroccan-Spanish mixed couples’ (self)representations and identity construction as reflected by their TikTok content. The memetic and intersectional aspects of the mixed-couple identity emerge as central in the convergent nature of the platform and their lived experiences. Through an initial analysis of 8,653 TikTok videos, we identified 6 creator accounts with more than 10K followers to conduct a deeper multimodal content and discourse analysis of 146 videos. This enabled us to explore how these creators portray their hybrid identity through short, vertical videos harnessing TikTok’s vernaculars and affordances. The results enable us to propose the concept of performative hybridization, which involves discursive markers within these couples’ TikTok content that reflect a fluid integration of two cultures, while the pervading visual and narrative components reflect the dominance of one set of identity traits over the other. In this case, Moroccan culture is more prevalent.

Cross-cultural adaptation of international students in Moroccan higher education: the case study of Sub-Saharan African students at Mohammed First University

PurposeThis article intends to explore the Sub-Saharan African students' perceptions on their cross-cultural adaptation to the Moroccan society by probing into their adaptive strategies adopted in order to overcome day-to-day challenges as well as factors impeding their adaptation processes. To this end, three central research questions are advanced: (1) what are the factors that influence Sub-Saharan students' cross-cultural adaptation to the Moroccan society? (2) How do Sub-Saharan students perceive the role of host communication competence, host interpersonal relationship, ethnic proximity, host receptivity and personality type in facilitating or hindering their adaptation? And (3) how do they undergo their cross-cultural adaptation to the Moroccan society?Design/methodology/approachThe main aim of this article is to explore African Sub-Saharan students' perceptions on their adaptation to Moroccan society as well as factors affecting their adaptive experiences. Due to the complex nature of this research, opting for mixed-methods research, the combination of both qualitative and quantitative, would best serve the objective of this study. For this purpose, qualitative methods (interviews) are used to collect non-numerical data about factors that facilitate or hinder the cross-cultural adaptation of Sub-Saharan students in Morocco in the first phase, and then quantitative methods (questionnaires) are used to collect numerical data about their perceptions of their adaptation in the Moroccan society in the second phase.FindingsThe results of the present study revealed that a large number of Sub-Saran African students are well adapted to the Moroccan culture, but with discrepant degrees. Their adaptation is mainly influenced by an array of intersected factors. Firstly, the participants showed that the more they were aware of the Moroccan culture and language, the more likely they would be able to function properly and effectively in different social settings. Secondly, it was found that establishing social ties with the host members was perceived as significant for easing their adaptation due to the cultural, emotional and academic support these ties provided. Thirdly, host receptivity was perceived as an important factor that facilitated the students' cross-cultural adaptation. With the case of some participants, host receptivity, however, hindered their adaptation because they were subject to different types of discriminatory and racist behaviours by some Moroccans. Lastly, intercultural personality traits displayed in flexibility, prior cross-cultural move and intercultural empathy were found to contribute to the students' overall functional fitness in theOriginality/valueThis is the first research to tackle the issue of Sub-Saharan African students' cultural adaptation in Morocco.

Racial Identity-Aware Facial Expression Recognition Using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks

Multi-culture facial expression recognition remains challenging due to cross cultural variations in facial expressions representation, caused by facial structure variations and culture specific facial characteristics. In this research, a joint deep learning approach called racial identity aware deep convolution neural network is developed to recognize the multicultural facial expressions. In the proposed model, a pre-trained racial identity network learns the racial features. Then, the racial identity aware network and racial identity network jointly learn the racial identity aware facial expressions. By enforcing the marginal independence of facial expression and racial identity, the proposed joint learning approach is expected to be purer for the expression and be robust to facial structure and culture specific facial characteristics variations. For the reliability of the proposed joint learning technique, extensive experiments were performed with racial identity features and without racial identity features. Moreover, culture wise facial expression recognition was performed to analyze the effect of inter-culture variations in facial expression representation. A large scale multi-culture dataset is developed by combining the four facial expression datasets including JAFFE, TFEID, CK+ and RaFD. It contains facial expression images of Japanese, Taiwanese, American, Caucasian and Moroccan cultures. We achieved 96% accuracy with racial identity features and 93% accuracy without racial identity features.

Validation of Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer scale in a Moroccan sample of breast cancer women

BackgroundThe Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale (Mini-MAC) instrument is commonly used worldwide by professionals of oncology, but the scale has not, up to date, been validated in Arabic and Moroccan context, and there is an absence of data in the Moroccan population. This study aims to validate the Mini-MAC, translated and adapted to the Arabic language and Moroccan culture, in women with breast cancer.MethodsData were analyzed in two successive phases. First, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to assess the factor structure in the pilot sample (N = 158). Then, this structure was confirmed in the validation sample (N = 203) using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).ResultsConfirmatory factor analysis confirmed Watson’s original structure underlying the Mini-MAC items: Helpless/Hopeless, Anxious Preoccupation, Fighting Spirit, Cognitive Avoidance, and Fatalism. Absolute, incremental, and parsimonious fit indices showed a highly significant level of acceptance confirming a good performance of the measurement model. The instrument showed sufficient reliability and convergent validity demonstrated by acceptable values of composite reliability (CR =0.93–0.97), and average variance extracted (AVE = 0.66–0.93), respectively. The square roots of AVE were higher than factor-factor pairs correlations, and the Heterotrait-Monotrait ratio of correlations values were lesser than 0.85, indicating acceptable discriminant validity.Conclusionsreliability; and both convergent and discriminant validity tests indicated that the Arabic version of the Mini-MAC had a good performance and may serve as a valid tool measuring psychological responses to cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Print Culture and Sufi Modernity: Al-Tuhāmī al-Wazzānī’s Embodied Reading of Morocco’s Nahḍa

Abstract Rethinking Arabic literary modernity, this article addresses what the act of reading means as Morocco moves from manuscript to print. In 1941, a leading figure of Morocco’s nahḍa, al-Tuhāmī al-Wazzānī, began to serialize his autobiography al-Zāwiya in one of the country’s earliest newspapers. Heralded as Morocco’s first novel, the moment marks the inauguration of a new reading public. Yet the text does not rely upon the reconfigured relationship with the reader accompanying the rise of print cultures in much of the Middle East and North Africa. Al-Zāwiya is a Sufi autobiography, a genre that invites its readers to assimilate the actions found within its pages. Al-Wazzānī draws upon this long tradition, using intertextual engagement to create a space of discourse that complicates the presumed secularity of Arabic literature during the nahḍa. Early Moroccan print culture thus provides an opportunity to reconsider the continuities of tradition embedded within modern literary practices.