RationalFeminist
Sep 9, 2018 · 2 min read

Hi Sarah!

This was a great read! Very thorough, precise, no jumbled word salads, and you bring light to a subject that has been put in the back-burner for a very long time. There needs to be a conversation on the restricted status of Maghrebi women in fundamentalist societies. My only concern is where you try to direct the discourse.

With regards to the Occidental West, unless you have relevant contemporary evidence that substantiates claims of current systemic patterns of conscious colonial thought in France and other Western entities outside of the use of the term “Beurette”, then the topic on Orientalism and dehumanization by way of exotic caricatures becomes outmodded at best.

More emphasis should be put on the zealous cultural norms of the Maghreb region. Starting with a broad historical outline of women’s status in Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco from the 1960s to present day. For Algeria you could discuss the Family Code of 1984 along with the development of the Women’s Liberation Movement. For Morocco it could be the high illiteracy rate amongst women as a result of the regime, the royal family codes, Tahar El Haddad’s progressive wave.I’m sure you’re familiar with all this but it would be valuable to direct attention away from the distant (geographically and historically) issue of Orientalist colonial expression and redirect it to the immediate issue of human rights violations sanctioned by the states. Moroccan feminists are much more concerned about access to education to escape dependency from their male counterpart as well as the ability to advance in society.

Otherwise great read, and thank you for cracking this topic wide open for the public to read.

Best Wishes!

    RationalFeminist

    Written by

    gender equality advocate, civil inquiry proponent, opponent of outrage mob.