Colonial space in Morocco [Ressource électronique] / Jescie Lynn Bohbot

Master of arts : Hisoire : University of Maryland : 2011

Bibliogr. p. 94-96

This thesis is on the idea of colonial space in Morocco and how the French used space to colonize the people. The focus is on the early twentieth century but there are back ground pieces that begin as early as the 1500s. The first section of the paper describes the idea of space and how physical or public space is the focus of the paper. From there, the thesis describes the colonial policies of the French and how the French did not forcefully assimilate Morocco as it did in Algeria but used a policy of association which directly impacted how the French used physical space in Morocco. Next the thesis delves into several divisions of space in Morocco including the division between the urban and rural areas, the dual city within urban space, and Jewish space. The final section deconstructs the idea of space showing that even though the French tried to create clean divisions that this was not the reality of the situation. Areas such as the slums, women's space, and entertainment were perpetually crossing boundaries. This work is important because it shows the larger picture of the divisions in Morocco once the French arrived and how it affected the Moroccan population and continues to affect the population today.