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Simon Idelson Honors Thesis.pdf (3.12 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Cosmopolitan Continuities: The Re-Framing of Historic Architecture and Urban Space in Contemporary Morocco (1990-present)

Idelson, Simon Fader
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin1589747804128512

Abstract Details

2020, BA, Oberlin College, Politics.
What is the political and economic significance of old buildings, neighborhoods, and monuments in contemporary Moroccan cities? I address this question by studying historic preservation efforts of state and non-state actors in two Moroccan cities: Tetouan and Rabat. In this study, I argue that two separate elite coalitions of state officials, architects, artists, academics, and activists in the Moroccan cities of Tetouan and Rabat frame their historic architecture and urban spaces (from before Moroccan independence) as demonstrating the city and nation’s enduring cosmopolitanism. By framing their urban heritage, and subsequently their history as cosmopolitan, this elite coalition asserts that Morocco has always been multicultural, tolerant, and open to new ideas. This allows Moroccans to more effectively insert themselves into contemporary global capital and cultural flows while ​simultaneously​ promoting a sense of national and local identity. This identity is grounded in the idea of “Moroccan exceptionalism,” where locals define Morocco as a unique crossroads of cultures between the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Ultimately, by using the historic cityscape as proof of Morocco's authentic and enduring cosmopolitanism, these coalitions view present-day globalization as reinforcing Moroccan identity. This pushes back against the widely-held idea that globalization erodes national borders and identity.
Eve Sandberg (Advisor)
Zeinab Abul-Magd (Committee Member)
Erik Inglis (Committee Member)
79 p.
Architecture; Geography; Modern History; North African Studies; Political Science
Urban planning; Morocco; Culture;

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Idelson, S. F. (2020). Cosmopolitan Continuities: The Re-Framing of Historic Architecture and Urban Space in Contemporary Morocco (1990-present) [Undergraduate thesis, Oberlin College]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin1589747804128512

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Idelson, Simon. Cosmopolitan Continuities: The Re-Framing of Historic Architecture and Urban Space in Contemporary Morocco (1990-present). 2020. Oberlin College, Undergraduate thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin1589747804128512.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Idelson, Simon. "Cosmopolitan Continuities: The Re-Framing of Historic Architecture and Urban Space in Contemporary Morocco (1990-present)." Undergraduate thesis, Oberlin College, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin1589747804128512

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

oberlin1589747804128512
271
© 2020, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Oberlin College Honors Theses and OhioLINK.