Amazigh Arts in Morocco: Women Shaping Berber Identity

Cynthia Becker

Published by University of Texas Press 2006

Amazigh Arts in Morocco

Women Shaping Berber Identity

Cynthia Becker

https://doi.org/10.7560/712959

Overview
Contents

About this book

In southeastern Morocco, around the oasis of Tafilalet, the Ait Khabbash people weave brightly colored carpets, embroider indigo head coverings, paint their faces with saffron, and wear ornate jewelry. Their extraordinarily detailed arts are rich in cultural symbolism; they are always breathtakingly beautiful—and they are typically made by women. Like other Amazigh (Berber) groups (but in contrast to the Arab societies of North Africa), the Ait Khabbash have entrusted their artistic responsibilities to women. Cynthia Becker spent years in Morocco living among these women and, through family connections and female fellowship, achieved unprecedented access to the artistic rituals of the Ait Khabbash. The result is more than a stunning examination of the arts themselves, it is also an illumination of women's roles in Islamic North Africa and the many ways in which women negotiate complex social and religious issues.

One of the reasons Amazigh women are artists is that the arts are expressions of ethnic identity, and it follows that the guardians of Amazigh identity ought to be those who literally ensure its continuation from generation to generation, the Amazigh women. Not surprisingly, the arts are visual expressions of womanhood, and fertility symbols are prevalent. Controlling the visual symbols of Amazigh identity has given these women power and prestige. Their clothing, tattoos, and jewelry are public identity statements; such public artistic expressions contrast with the stereotype that women in the Islamic world are secluded and veiled. But their role as public identity symbols can also be restrictive, and history (French colonialism, the subsequent rise of an Arab-dominated government in Morocco, and the recent emergence of a transnational Berber movement) has forced Ait Khabbash women to adapt their arts as their people adapt to the contemporary world. By framing Amazigh arts with historical and cultural context, Cynthia Becker allows the reader to see the full measure of these fascinating artworks.

Author / Editor information

Cynthia J. Becker is Assistant Professor of Art History at Boston University.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
A Note on Transcription and Transliteration Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	xi
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
One. Ait Khabbash Textiles:Weaving Metaphors of Identity Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	15
Two. The Art of Dressing the Body Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	47
Three. Dance Performances: Negotiating Gender and Social Change Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	76
Four. Women as Public Symbols of Identity: The Adornment of the Bride and Groom Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	95
Five. Performing Amazigh Gender Roles:Wedding Ceremonies Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	134
Six. Oh, My Sudanese Mother: The Legacy of Slavery in Ait Khabbash Art Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	162
Seven. Contemporary Amazigh Arts: Giving Material Form to Amazigh Consciousness Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	177
Appendix. Selected Songs from Ait KhabbashWeddings Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	195
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	201
References Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	211
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	219

Language: English
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 239

eBook

Published: January 27, 2009
ISBN: 9780292795914