Challenging the Narrative: A Review of Miriam Cooke’s Tribal Modern – Harry Sanderson

In Tribal Modern: Branding New Nations in the Arab Gulf, Miriam Cooke analyzes the dynamic development of tribes and their traditions in Gulf states whose societies have experienced unprecedentedly rapid modernization in the last thirty years. Cooke utilizes her own experience from traveling in the region, interviews with common Gulf citizens, and artistic literature to […]

Translating the Untranslatable- Molly Mansfield

Upon first glancing at miriam cooke’s Tribal Modern, I immediately noticed the cover image and began to guess why cooke may have chosen it. The photograph shows traditionally dressed men riding camels on a paved road, framed by towering skyscrapers in the background. This image, as well as the book’s title printed across its center […]

The Perfect Bucket Shower – Noah Huffman

I had never realized just how much I took for granted my home shower before spending six weeks in Morocco. Every morning that I lived in Rabat, I would pull a large yellow bucket into the bathroom and place it underneath the bathtub faucet, carefully watching as scalding water poured into the makeshift cistern. Once […]

The Convergence of the Tribal and Modern

 

Ahmed Salat

Miriam Cooke’s Tribal Modern: Branding new nations in the Arab Gulf gives a detailed account of the development of the Gulf countries over the years and how the concepts of tribe and modernity interrelate and shape the social, economic and political aspects of these countries. As she follows history to explain how […]

Reflections by Maria Renteria

With this blogpost, our time in Fez comes to an end.

Morocco is simultaneously the best and the worst place to face one’s anxiety. The ubiquitous attitude of “mish mushkila” (no problem) and “Insha’allah” (God-willing) create an atmosphere where there are no worries and no rush to complete tasks. For someone whose anxiety […]

Doors, Gates, and Arches: A Look into Opportunity – Alex Frumkin

When God closes a door, he opens a window. In this expression, doors and windows both represent opportunities because they both open up a different experience in life. The Old Medina (City) of Fes – Fes el Bali – has very few windows, but it has many different doors, gates, and arches that each open […]

Blog Post 3: The Ever-Present Past – Kayla Smith

While the country of Morocco has only existed independently since 1956, Moroccan traditions go back a long way. From handmade crafts to outdated modes of transportation to ancient ruins, Morocco certainly doesn’t lack traditional practices and commodities, even though the country is modernizing rapidly (along with the rest of the world). It is an odd […]

Home || Away from Home – Anna Cunningham

Home is about familiarity. In the United States, I find “home” in simple things, like knowing where to find the cups or the trash can. When I’m at home, I can be independent, because I know what to expect and how to handle it. With so many controlled variables, it feels easier to address the […]

Week 3: Morocco In Pictures by Ahmed Salat

MOROCCO IN PICTURES

In my first post, I slightly talked about how beautiful and clean the streets of Fez, the city I’m currently living in, are. Well, I have since travelled to (or through) different cities in Morocco and couldn’t have enough of the beauty of this country. I observed that cities in Morocco […]

Moroccan Stars – Noah Huffman

The blazing sun finally sets across from the tight-knit houses and age-old storefronts, behind the distant mountains only recognizable by the hazy shadow that sits vigilantly perched upon the endless violet horizon. The air is liberated from its diurnal fever and the sweat that had formed on the backs of men leading donkey-pulled carts through […]

Perseverance – Michelle Rodriguez

Woven within the intricate yet durable fabrics of Moroccan society, there lies an element that’s both immediately striking and stimulating. You see it in the hustling of vendors of all sorts within the souks, in the over-100° F heat of the Sahara Desert, in the streets littered among the unknown assortment of objects. Moroccan people […]

The Many Faces of Moroccan Architecture – Harry Sanderson

As I have amazingly already spent three weeks in Morocco, and my time in Fez is coming to an end, I would like to utilize this week’s blog as a recap of some of the amazing things I have seen thus far in Morocco. What has struck me the most about this beautiful country is […]