The increasing movement of people from sub-Saharan Africa into Morocco has prompted a notable shift in the country’s literary landscape, according to recent analysis. This “sub-Saharan turn” in Moroccan literature is reshaping discussions around identity, politics, and prejudice, as explored in a recent podcast and academic work by Brahim El Guabli.
El Guabli, an associate professor of comparative thought and literature at Johns Hopkins University, discussed his essay, “The Sub-Saharan Turn in Moroccan Literature,” and the development of his concept of “saharanism” in a interview with James Ryan, Executive Director of the Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP). The essay originally appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of Middle East Report, titled “Maghreb from the Margins.”
The conversation, part of MERIP’s “In the Archive” podcast series, focused on how migration patterns over the last three decades have influenced Moroccan politics and identity, and how these changes are reflected in contemporary Moroccan novels. El Guabli’s work delves into the complexities of race and prejudice within Moroccan society as it grapples with its evolving demographic makeup.
El Guabli’s research builds upon a growing body of scholarship examining the intersection of migration, identity, and cultural production in North Africa. His forthcoming book, Desert Imaginations: A History of Saharanism and Its Radical Consequences (University of California Press, 2025), expands on the ideas presented in his earlier essay, offering a deeper exploration of the concept of “saharanism.”
The “sub-Saharan turn” isn’t occurring in a vacuum. Morocco’s position as a transit country for migrants attempting to reach Europe has placed it at the center of complex geopolitical dynamics. The influx of migrants has also sparked debates about national identity and the integration of diverse communities. El Guabli’s work provides a literary lens through which to understand these evolving social and political realities.
El Guabli’s academic background is rooted in both Moroccan and international scholarship. He is a Black and Amazigh Indigenous scholar, and his research spans Arabic studies and comparative literature. His previous publications include Moroccan Other-Archives: History and Citizenship after State Violence (Fordham University Press, 2023), and he has co-edited volumes such as Lamalif: A Critical Anthology of Societal Debates in Morocco During the “Years of Lead” (1966–1988) (Liverpool University Press, 2022).
His articles have appeared in a range of academic journals, including LA Review of Books, PMLA, Interventions, The Cambridge Journal of Postcolonial Literary Inquiry, Arab Studies Journal, History in Africa, META, and the Journal of North African Studies. He has also published “Forgettable Black and Amazigh Bodies: Boujemâa Hebaz and the Moroccan Racial Politics of Amnesia” in Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East (2024) and “The Idea of Tamazgha: Current Articulations and Scholarly Potential” in Tamazgha Studies Journal (2023).
The MERIP podcast episode also highlighted the reception of El Guabli’s work and its contribution to the development of the “saharanism” concept. The discussion underscores the importance of archival research and literary analysis in understanding the complex interplay between migration, identity, and political change in the Maghreb region.
MERIP is currently accepting pitches for its summer issue focusing on visual art and cultural production in the Middle East and North Africa, with a submission deadline of .
Further reading recommended by MERIP includes Abdel Rahman Munif’s Cities of Salt (Vintage, 1989), Ghislaine Lydon’s On Trans-Saharan Trails (Cambridge University Press, 2009), and Shamil Jeppie’s Writing Timbuktu (Princeton University Press, 2026).
