The Persistence of the Andalusian Identity in Rabat, Morocco

351 Pages·2015·4.38 MB·English

by  Beebe Bahrami

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Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations
1995
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Beebe Bahrami
University of Pennsylvania, [email protected]
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Part of the Ethnic Studies Commons, European History Commons, Islamic World and Near East
History Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, and the Sociology Commons
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Bahrami, Beebe, "The Persistence of the Andalusian Identity in Rabat, Morocco" (1995). Publicly
Accessible Penn Dissertations. 1176.
https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1176
This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1176
For more information, please contact [email protected].
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This thesis investigates the problem of how an historical identity persists within a community in Rabat,
Morocco, that traces its ancestry to Spain. Called Andalusians, these Moroccans are descended from
Spanish Muslims who were first forced to convert to Christianity after 1492, and were expelled from the
Iberian peninsula in the early seventeenth century. I conducted both ethnographic and historical archival
research among Rabati Andalusian families. There are four main reasons for the persistence of the
Andalusian identity in spite of the strong acculturative forces of religion, language, and culture in
Moroccan society. First, the presence of a strong historical continuity of the Andalusian heritage in North
Africa has provided a dominant history into which the exiled communities could integrate themselves.
Second, the predominant practice of endogamy, as well as other social practices, reinforces an
intergenerational continuity among Rabati Andalusians. Third, the Andalusian identity is a single identity
that has a complex range of sociocultural contexts in which it is both meaningful and flexible. And fourth,
non-Andalusian Moroccans reinforce the cultural meanings behind the importance of being Andalusian,
based on the affinity most Moroccans have for the Andalusian Spanish heritage. The dissertation
concludes by drawing upon comparative ethnographic material by way of testing the validity of the four
reasons in contexts outside of Morocco. This thesis contributes both theoretically and ethnographically to
the anthropological literature. Theoretically, it offers a general pattern to the persistence of identity while
also utilizing and building onto synchronic identity studies and studies of acculturation and assimilation
in anthropology by looking at the processual context of the Andalusian identity. Ethnographically, this
dissertation contributes a description of a cultural group so far not represented in anthropology and also
looks at a culturally elite group, a class that is under-represented in the literature.
DDeeggrreeee TTyyppee
Dissertation
DDeeggrreeee NNaammee
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Anthropology
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Spain
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Ethnic Studies | European History | Islamic World and Near East History | Social and Cultural Anthropology
| Sociology
This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1176
THE PERSISTENCE OF THE ANDALUSIAN IDENTITY
IN RABAT, MOROCCO
Beebe Bahrami
A DISSERTATION
in
Anthropology
Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
1995
Supervisor of Dissertation
Graduate Group" Chairperson
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COPYRIGHT
BEEBE BAHRAMI
1995
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Hassan, Nahid, Ali,
Pedare, Madare,
and Birch,
for a lifetime of
love, belief, and support
iii
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Acknow1edqement s
Many friends from many places and perspectives have
supported me in the process that led to this work.
Family and friends in Boulder and in Tehran influenced my
pursuit of anthropology. My parents especially
encouraged the exploration of cultures through their own
experience of emigration, and through their all out
belief, in theory and in practice, that I could do
whatever it was that I wanted, emphasizing that I choose
my life's passion. Moreover, in choosing the life of an
anthropologist, there are many individuals in the United
States, Europe, and Morocco who have fully given of their
time, ideas, and support. To all of them I am very
grateful.
At the University of Pennsylvania my particular
thanks go to Brian Spooner, Renata Holod, Sandra Barnes,
Igor Kopytoff, Bill Davenport, Robert Harding, Linda Lee,
Roger Allen, Everett Rowson, Hussein El-Khafaifi, Sabah
El Ghandour, and Mary Martin. Many thanks also to Dale
Eickelman at Dartmouth College, Susan Gilson Miller at
Harvard University, and Donna Lee Bowen at Brigham Young
University who all offered insightful guidance during
meetings while I was in the field in Rabat.
In Spain, the people who have helped me and enriched
my life are Maria del Carmen Rubio Godoy, her Sevillano
friends and family, and Manu Nunez Jimenez, all who first
iv
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introduced me to southern Spanish culture and who lit the
fires of curiosity about the Spanish past and present
that eventually led me to cross the Straits and seek
answers in Morocco. Guillermo Gozalbes Busto, a scholar
of Moroccan history residing in Granada, furthered the
quest for answers through his experience with and
enthusiasm for our common interest in the Moriscos of
Rabat.
In Morocco, many individuals were generous with
their time, resources, and ideas. While I cannot
personally thank everyone in Morocco for their help in my
research and in my enjoyment of their society and
culture, there are some individuals who must be
applauded. Mohamed Ben Aboud in Tetouan, Mohamed
Bargach, Mohamed El Mansour, Fatima Harrak El Mansour,
Mohamed Abou Talib, Abdallah al-Souissi, Mohamed Adbel
Krim Krim, and Mehdi Bennouna in Rabat, and Muncef
Lahlou and Wafa1 Berrada in Fez, were all generous with
their time, scholarship, and enthusiasm for my work.
Moreover, their pride in their culture and society are
inspirational. I am also very grateful to the Moroccan-
American Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange
(the Fulbright Commission) and thank both the Moroccan
and United States governments for their shared
support of my research. This research simply would not
have happened without this generous grant. The Moroccan-
v
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American Commission itself is staffed by an exceptional
group of talented Moroccan and American individuals.
They all made me feel welcome and went out of their way
to help me with my work and with my quality of life. My
thanks go to Edward Thomas, Saadia Maskiin, Mustafa
Ouahid, and Mohamed Chrayah. Edward Thomas and his wife
Leila Nakhjavani Thomas gave me a family away from home
and a feeling of belonging and support which I will always
cherish. Other good friends found by going to Morocco
are Adrienne Alvord and Mustapha Kamal. Last but
most importantly are all the Andalusian and non-
Andalusian Moroccans who allowed me to participate in
their lives. From all these people in Morocco I have
acquired a love for the country they call home and to
which I hope to return again and again.
Thanks also must go to my friend and fellow scholar
Grace Osgood, with whom I had many relaxed afternoon
ruminations, and who into her ninety-seventh year
continued to remind me of the splendors of learning
and travel. Also important to mention are Angelo and
Paul who run the local grocery store in Narberth,
Pennsylvania. They frequently asked me, "So, how is
the writing today?", when I stopped in for a pint of milk
or a pound of apples.
Many special thanks are reserved for Birch Miles, my
husband, and Sharon Nagy, my good friend; both shared and
vi
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supported the experience of this work on a daily basis.
Birch, who I met during one of the after-class gatherings
on the eighth floor of Williams Hall, supported my
independent travels and field studies, joined in on some
of the adventures, helped shape ideas, read all drafts of
the dissertation, and lovingly endured the strange
process inherent in writing a dissertation. Sharon
helped shape ideas and read the dissertation draft and
offered good advice and suggestions along the way.
In summing up a process that began a lifetime ago, I
wish to express deep appreciation to Birch Miles,
Hassan Bahrami, Nahid Bahrami, and Ali Bahrami, for their
unconditional love, devotion, perseverance, and support.
vii
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ABSTRACT
THE PERSISTENCE OF THE ANDALUSIAN IDENTITY
IN RABAT, MOROCCO
BEEBE BAHRAMI
BRIAN SPOONER
This thesis investigates the problem of how an
historical identity persists within a community in Rabat,
Morocco, that traces its ancestry to Spain. Called
Andalusians, these Moroccans are descended from Spanish
Muslims who were first forced to convert to Christianity
after 1492, and were expelled from the Iberian peninsula in
the early seventeenth century. I conducted both
ethnographic and historical archival research among Rabati
Andalusian families. There are four main reasons for the
persistence of the Andalusian identity in spite of the
strong acculturative forces of religion, language, and
culture in Moroccan society. First, the presence of a
strong historical continuity of the Andalusian heritage in
North Africa has provided a dominant history into which the
exiled communities coulc1 integrate themselves. Second, the
predominant practice of endogamy, as well as other social
practices, reinforces an intergenerational continuity among
Rabati Andalusians. Third, the Andalusian identity is a
viii
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.