THE EVOLUTION OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH ON MOROCCAN JEWS: HISTORIOGRAPHICAL TRENDS, INTELLECTUAL TRAJECTORIES, AND EMERGING RESEARCH AGENDAS
THE EVOLUTION OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH ON MOROCCAN JEWS: HISTORIOGRAPHICAL TRENDS, INTELLECTUAL TRAJECTORIES, AND EMERGING RESEARCH AGENDAS
Dr. Ayoub Regragui
ABSTRACT
The study of Moroccan Jews has attracted growing attention from historians, sociologists, anthropologists, and cultural scholars over the past decades. All the same, much of this research has centralised principally on legal status, economic activities, and Jewish-Muslim relations during the colonial period. Against this background, the article reviews the evolution of academic scholarship on Moroccan Jews and delves into the main intellectual trends that have shaped the field as the years go by. To be precise, it explores the contributions of large-scale scholars such as Mohamed Kenbib, Haim Zafrani, Abdelkébir Khatibi, and Simon Lévy, whose work has helped deepen our perceptions and understanding of Moroccan Jewish history, identity, and cultural memory. Likewise, the article discusses recent debates encompassing multiculturalism, heritage preservation, and the place of Moroccan Jewish culture in public and educational discourse. While existing studies have provided valuable insights into the historical experiences and contributions of Moroccan Jews, important gaps remain in areas such as curriculum studies, cultural representation, and educational inclusion. Therefore, this review argues for more interdisciplinary approaches that move beyond traditional historical and legal perspectives to include questions of identity formation, multicultural education, and cultural recognition. Conclusively, the article points out the need for future research that reflects the complexity of Moroccan identity and the diverse cultural traditions that have contributed to its formation.
