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The Glaoui’s in Tribal Land : Violence and French Colonial Rule in Morocco
Abstract
The famous “Lord of the Atlas” or of “the Berbers”, the Pasha Glaoui, is more known in Moroccan nationalist imaginary as the sultan’s “felon” during what the French chronicles called the “Moroccan crisis between 1952 and 1955”. The man, who supported the French army in southern Morocco and supplied them for the war of conquest, also conquered many Moroccan tribes to put them under his administrative leadership and dominium. My paper will deal with the Glaoui’s systematic use of violence, repression and domination of the tribes he himself had control of or by his own allies whom he appointed. I will base my paper on oral history as well as novels that were written during Glaoui’s highest moment of political power and rule. The French rulers saw Glaoui as part of a “Berber block” which they could use against the nationalist movement. In this paper I look at Glaoui, from the lenses of the tribesmen who were at the receiving end of the violence well expressed in oral tradition and peculiarly depicted by French novelists.
Discipline
History
Geographic Area
Morocco
Sub Area
None