This approach has had a lasting influence on anthropological studies of the Maghreb and the Muslim world, establishing methodological and theoretical standards that continue to inspire contemporary research. The book demonstrates the possibility of a respectful and scientifically rigorous anthropology of non-Western societies, paving the way for mo
Sefrou is analyzed not as a simple field of study but as a microcosm that reveals the cultural dynamics of Morocco. The authors’ urban approach shows how urban space—the medina, suq, residential neighborhoods—structures social interactions and shapes cultural identities. Hildred Geertz (Wikimedia Commons) The analysis reveals how the spatia
This interpretive method allows for an understanding of internal cultural logics rather than imposing external analytical frameworks. For example, the analysis of the suq does not start from Western economic models but seeks to understand how Moroccan merchants conceptualize exchange, information, and value. This emic (from the actors’ point of v
This work is fully in line with the paradigm of interpretive anthropology developed by Clifford Geertz, constituting a paradigmatic application of his method of “thick description” to the study of Moroccan society. The approach adopted by the three authors innovatively combines classical ethnography with anthropological economic analysis, the s
Sefrou, (43) a small town at the foot of the Middle Atlas Mountains, has historically occupied a pivotal position between the mountainous tribal areas and the large city of Fez. This geographical location makes it a commercial and cultural crossroads, frequented by diverse populations: Amazigh peasants, Arabic-speaking merchants, Moroccan Jews, and