Now, this is a story all about how my life got flipped-turned upside down. And I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there, I’ll tell you how I became a student in a city called Rabat. After spending seven weeks in Morocco it’s hard to come up with the right words to describeContinue reading “Final Reflections of Morocco”
Author Archives: abbycoll
L’enfant endormi
L’enfant endormi, the sleeping child, follows the lives of the women that the men of the village left behind.1 Halima and Zainib, twins, live with their respectful husbands families and are essentially left trapped in the village in which they reside. All of the men have gone to Spain to “find work” and “make someContinue reading “L’enfant endormi”
Approaching the Quran
Morocco is a Muslim majority county where sometimes it can be hard to separate the two cultures. Separation of church does not exist, as the King also holds a second title of “Commander of the Faithful.” No matter where I am, whether bustling city or expansive desert, the Call to Prayer can almost always beContinue reading “Approaching the Quran”
Draft of Intro Section
The way a Moroccan woman can move and present herself in a public space is differently complex compared to her American counterpart. Women are not barred from taking up space in public, but are affected by different institutional gender structures and heavy Islamic influence. “Allowable” public movement and presentation for Moroccan women are results ofContinue reading “Draft of Intro Section”
Draft of Full Outline
Intro Thesis: “Allowable” public movement and presentation for Moroccan women are results of affluent and religious dependent dynamics between men and women, reinforced by age, class, and region How: observational because I can’t write a Moroccan woman’s experience Why: how women from different regions, age groups, and social classes interact amongst themselves and with thoseContinue reading “Draft of Full Outline”
Detailed Timeline
February 6 cafes all morning finish draft of intro, outline, and blog 5:25pm: train to casablanca I plan to continuously add and revise lit review as I get through sources February 7 casablanca 3pm: intro, outline, timeline, blog due bounce around cafes to read and observe February 8 leave early to get to tangier busContinue reading “Detailed Timeline”
Literary Review
Abby Collins Professor Moody Morocco HUA January 29, 2020 Cafe Culture and the Intricacies of Navigating Public Space as a Woman in Morocco The way a Moroccan woman can move and present herself in a public space is differently complex compared to her American counterpart. Women are not barred from taking up space in public butContinue reading “Literary Review”
Sur La Planche
Dark. Blinding. Sterile. Scrub. Repeat. This is the life of Badia in Leïla Kilani’s 2012 movie Sur La Planche (On the Edge). Badia is a young woman in her 20’s who spends her days shucking shrimp by the kilo and falls into a life of illicit behavior at night. With the help of another shrimpContinue reading “Sur La Planche”
Thesis, Timeline, and Outline
Revised Thesis Statement: The ways Moroccan women move and present themselves in public are results of affluent and religious dependent dynamics between men and women, reinforced by age, class, and region. Timeline and Plan for Data Collection: Starting with this week I want to try to spend at least 2-3 days a week sitting inContinue reading “Thesis, Timeline, and Outline”
Bab Al-Sama Maftuh
Bab Al-Sama Maftuh, translated to mean “A Door to the Sky,” is about a woman named Nadia who returns from France to her home in Fes, Morocco as her father has fallen ill and soon after passes away. Nadia’s siblings, Driss and Leyla, are all of opposing opinions about their identity and what they wishContinue reading “Bab Al-Sama Maftuh”
Research Outline
My research project is mostly observational based so I want to spend at least 2-3 days this next week in different cafes around Rabat. I also want to experience sitting outside, inside, and upstairs at these cafes because each can have a very different dynamic. As I spend more time at these cafes I hopeContinue reading “Research Outline”
Entering and Redefining the Man’s Domain:Cafe Culture and the Intricacies of Navigating Public Space as a Woman in Morocco
Abstract In this paper I examine, observe, and draw conclusions from the way women from all over Morocco move through public spaces with a focus on the stigmas and culture surrounding cafes. I argue that class and affluence are able to erase certain boundaries that are due to the many factors affecting women’s access toContinue reading “Entering and Redefining the Man’s Domain:Cafe Culture and the Intricacies of Navigating Public Space as a Woman in Morocco”
Where the sun sets 