After the Arab Revolutions
I started my journey in the realm of social sciences in the aftermath of the Arab revolutions of 2011. First, I have been following the 20th of February Movement in Morocco. With a few friends, I participated at starting an organization called Autre Maroc (مغرب آخر), that was dedicated to the pursue of social justice.
Later, during my master's studies at the School for Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (EHESS), I made a deliberate decision to focus my research on a marginalized area known as Lahraouiyine on the outskirts of Casablanca. This neighborhood was inhabited by former residents of one of Casablanca's historic slums, Carrières Centrales. Notably, Lahraouiyine was reputed to be a breeding ground for the recruitment of paramilitary groups, often referred to as "Baltagia". My research approach adopted a moral anthropology perspective, exploring concepts like existential precariousness, belonging, religion, and politics in this marginalized context. Beginning in 2014, I spent several months conducting fieldwork in Lahraouiyine on multiple occasions.
In 2016 and 2017, with my friend and colleague Montassir Sakhi, we went on to study the Syrian revolution through immersive fieldwork amongst refugees at the Turkish-Syrian border and in northern Iraq. During this journey, we conducted numerous interviews with activists, militants, and witnesses who had experienced life in the liberated zones (مناطق محررة), free from the Syrian regime's control. Our main focus was to grasp the unique political dynamics that emerged in the absence of a functioning state. In these liberated areas, various political and militant organizations were active. However, our specific interest was in understanding the collective spirit that underpinned the Syrian revolution. We were deeply struck by the profound ideas that permeated this environment, such as the reverence for martyrs, the imperative to dismantle the Baath regime, and the redefinition of identity and nationality in the face of relentless oppression. Notably, the concept of jihad played a central role in this narrative, serving both as a fundamental element of the utopian ideals practiced in the liberated zones and as a pathway to the dystopian reality represented by the anti-revolutionary forces of the Islamic State.
Several years later, as the Rif Hirak unfolded in northern Morocco, Montassir and I took the opportunity to observe the protests in al-Hoceïma and the escalating state-led crackdown. Our attention was drawn to the profound critique of the nation-state articulated by participants in the movement. This critique manifested through widespread interpretations of concepts like belonging, popular religion, and history, shedding light on the evolving societal perspectives within the context of the protests.
Bringing together these various strands of investigation, my forthcoming book project revolves around the premise that the Arab revolutions constitute a significant historical turning point. These revolutions stand as a profound and radical critique of the anti-colonial nationalism upon which the postcolonial states were constructed.
Later, during my master's studies at the School for Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (EHESS), I made a deliberate decision to focus my research on a marginalized area known as Lahraouiyine on the outskirts of Casablanca. This neighborhood was inhabited by former residents of one of Casablanca's historic slums, Carrières Centrales. Notably, Lahraouiyine was reputed to be a breeding ground for the recruitment of paramilitary groups, often referred to as "Baltagia". My research approach adopted a moral anthropology perspective, exploring concepts like existential precariousness, belonging, religion, and politics in this marginalized context. Beginning in 2014, I spent several months conducting fieldwork in Lahraouiyine on multiple occasions.
In 2016 and 2017, with my friend and colleague Montassir Sakhi, we went on to study the Syrian revolution through immersive fieldwork amongst refugees at the Turkish-Syrian border and in northern Iraq. During this journey, we conducted numerous interviews with activists, militants, and witnesses who had experienced life in the liberated zones (مناطق محررة), free from the Syrian regime's control. Our main focus was to grasp the unique political dynamics that emerged in the absence of a functioning state. In these liberated areas, various political and militant organizations were active. However, our specific interest was in understanding the collective spirit that underpinned the Syrian revolution. We were deeply struck by the profound ideas that permeated this environment, such as the reverence for martyrs, the imperative to dismantle the Baath regime, and the redefinition of identity and nationality in the face of relentless oppression. Notably, the concept of jihad played a central role in this narrative, serving both as a fundamental element of the utopian ideals practiced in the liberated zones and as a pathway to the dystopian reality represented by the anti-revolutionary forces of the Islamic State.
Several years later, as the Rif Hirak unfolded in northern Morocco, Montassir and I took the opportunity to observe the protests in al-Hoceïma and the escalating state-led crackdown. Our attention was drawn to the profound critique of the nation-state articulated by participants in the movement. This critique manifested through widespread interpretations of concepts like belonging, popular religion, and history, shedding light on the evolving societal perspectives within the context of the protests.
Bringing together these various strands of investigation, my forthcoming book project revolves around the premise that the Arab revolutions constitute a significant historical turning point. These revolutions stand as a profound and radical critique of the anti-colonial nationalism upon which the postcolonial states were constructed.
