SOC 384
The Maghreb in Europe: Colonialism, Migration, and Racism Fall 2024
Division II Difference, Power, and Equity
Cross-listed GBST 384 / RLFR 384 / AFR 386 / ARAB 384 / COMP 382

This interdisciplinary seminar introduces students to the multifaceted contemporary presence of the Maghreb in Europe. Themes covered include the socio-economic and cultural manifestations of the long durée of the European colonization of North Africa, and the political economy of the post-colonial labor immigration of North African workers to European countries like France, Italy, or Spain, for instance. Other key topics include the racialization of Maghrebian migrants and their descendants as Muslims. In this regard, we will discuss anti-Maghrebian racism and how it links to Islamophobia. To explore these themes, we will read a selection of theoretical texts by Franz Fanon, Abdelmalek Sayad, Pierre Bourdieu, Fatima Mernissi, Leïla Benhadjoudja, Nacira Guénif-Souilamas, and Hafid Bouazza, among others. We will also engage with a wide range of multimedia sources, including movies by Mahmoud Zemmouri and Leïla Sy, a selection of rap videoclips by various artists (Karima Khelifi, Saliha, Sorah, etc), the novel Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami, and the graphic novel Burning Up the Strait: The Graphic Memoir of a Moroccan Migrant Child by Susan Plann and Ariel Lacci. In addition, we will examine current public debates and media analysis concerning the banning of the veil, the separatism law, the French concept of laïcité, and the representation of Maghrebian soccer players in the European national teams. All readings will be in English, but if a student is fluent in French, they will be provided with additional readings in French if they are interested.