Early English writings on Morocco

“Until the begenning of the 19th century, western knwoledge of Morocco was weak. It was confined to accounts of travels along  the coasts and reports on some cities and their suburbs. These works were mainly by European consular agents. The reason for this situation is not hard to find. On one hand Morocco was not yet a vital interest for the European powers. On the other hand, exploration inside the country was difficult because of the prevalence of dissidence among local powers. After the conquest of Algeria in 1830, this situation changed. Between 1840 and 1880, exploratory activity increased, Moroccan cities captured the fancy of foreign visitors. The architecture, the way of life, customs, clothing, and economic activities, are all well described in various accounts, the press and even novels.

Rural Morocco, except hinterlands of some cities was for a long time beyond the view of foreign eyes. However, at the end of the last century some ethnographic and geographic expeditions were undertaken by bold visitors who wrote precise descriptions  and anecdotal narratives about their observations.” (p.223)

[...] “At the end of the 19th century, English accounts and reports gave more ethnographic and anthropological information on tribes, agriculture, markets, language, religion, customs, and commerce. This information covered most regions in Morocco, including the coastal plains, Atlas mountains, the Rif, and the Sahara. (1) No anthropological currents or trends were yet discernible in these writings. These particular authors were not tied to academic research and anthropological theories that existed in Western countries at the time. They relied on observation describing some aspects of society, tried to understand some socio-cultural phenomena, but used no explicit theoretical framework based on existing analyses  in sociology and anthropology. Nevertheless, these writings did not drift into the so-called “colonial vulgate” which characterized French interpretation at the end of the 19th century.” (p.224)

Ettibari Bouasla, “Moroccan society and American anthropology”, in “The Atlantic Connection : 200 years of Moroccan-American relations 1786-1986″, ed. by Jerome B. Bookin-Welner and Mohamed El Mansour, Rabat, Edino, 1990 .

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(1) For an overview of these writings, see for example: Joseph D. Hooker, John Ball, Journal of a tour in Morocco and the Great Atlas (London, 1878); Walter Harris, Tafilalet (London, 1895); Arthur Leared, Morocco and the Moors (New York, 1891), and Budgett Meakin, The Moors : A Comprehensive Description (London, 1902).