Trending classic: the cultural register of Moroccan Malhun poetry

Trending classic: the cultural register of Moroccan Malhun poetry

Author: 
Magidow, Melanie
Publisher: 
Taylor & Francis Group
Date published: 
2016
Record type: 
Journal Title: 
The Journal of North African Studies
Source: 
Journal of North African Studies,Vol. 21, No. 2, March 2016, pp. 310-334
Abstract: 

This article demonstrates how the heteroglossia of mal un performances affects Moroccans as they negotiate identities and re-imagine Moroccan society. Performers' poetic devices and interpretations of the genre facilitate a process of representing and 'voicing' social groups within contemporary Moroccan public discourse. I apply Bakhtinian dialogic analysis to address voices of stability that reinforce social structures of authority ('centripetal') and voices of diversification ('centrifugal') that re-envision diversity in Moroccan society. Artistic innovations, such as theatrical productions of a narrative mal un poem, make space for rethinking Moroccan identity. Mal un emerges from this study as a literary and cultural form that functions as a cultural register to inform public discourses regarding the nature of Moroccan identity.

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CITATION: Magidow, Melanie. Trending classic: the cultural register of Moroccan Malhun poetry . : Taylor & Francis Group , 2016. Journal of North African Studies,Vol. 21, No. 2, March 2016, pp. 310-334 - Available at: https://library.au.int/trending-classic-cultural-register-moroccan-malhun-poetry