Immersion in Morocco
I encountered Rachid, a Moroccan, international student on a visit to his lifelong friend studying here on campus. Rachid, whom I met over in a social gathering organized for celebrating a friend's birthday at a nearby restaurant, was as active and as open a person as one could imagine. Before I met Rachid, I had never met a Moroccan before. Our first encounter was, if anything, a particularly fulfilling one and hence more encounters in subsequent days. In our first encounter, I was introduced to Rachid by a distant friend who spent last summer in Casablanca, Morocco. There, our common friend met in a celebrated oceanfront café. The stories of food, clothing and mystic, if not magical, side in Morocco unfolded as Rachid and I met in different occasions later.
The first occasion Rachid and I met in was a social gathering Rachid and a small Moroccan community organized to celebrate Rachid's cousin's wedding. I was personally invited by Rachid after we had spoken extensively in our first meeting about studying in U.S., cultural differences and, of course, Morocco's distinct culture (which, whenever surfacing in our conversation, seemed to make him more passionate and a bit too patriotic). The wedding, as I came to sip each and every detail, was nothing short of a spectacular parading of all Morocco could offer in food, clothing, home decorations and, not least, extraordinary hospitality.
The wedding hosts made sure everything is particularly Moroccan. The henna (ornamental drawings on hand and legs), couscous (a dish made with granulated seminola grains usually topped with mutton, veal, or beef and a variety of vegetables), tajine (a steam-cooked stew made of meat and vegetables in a spicy broth) as well as figs and dates ("The United Kingdom of Morocco") in abundance – all made a rich display of Moroccan fatty food and, of course, hospitality. The women dresses usually worn in weddings, called caftan, are no less ornamental. The hectic dancing, combining different Arab, Berber and Amazigh influences, reflects, if anything, Morocco's diverse culture in many aspects (as shown in next sections).
There were numerous moments of silence, interruptions and cross-talking. This is how (I later came to understand from Rachid in a later encounter in a much quieter campus setting) Moroccans experience almost about everything. Specifically, social, economic, cultural (particularly linguistic) spheres overlap in different contexts but particularly more so big gatherings celebrating food, collective intimacy and, not least, life.
Analysis
The Moroccan encounters Rachid has introduced me to are well grounded in cultural concepts and documented experiences of anthropologists and regular, amateur visitors. The wedding encounter is, probably, one most moment in my Moroccan encounters. Notably, I was exposed to cross-cultural influences made up, if anything, of cultural, linguistic and gender and, not least, culinary components.
The cultural component is most manifest in Morocco's – perceived via Rachid's and wedding's lens – diversity. If anything, Morocco has a long history of diversity combining Arab, Berber and Amazigh origins ("The United Kingdom of Morocco"). (Rachid has pointed out a long struggle, as well, between Arabs and Berbers during French occupation.) Following independence, Moroccan different ethnicities continued to mingle more, marrying across ethnic groups (although specific pocket areas continue to impose strict in-group marriage practices). This diversity justifies, perhaps, why international visitors find Morocco a hospitable and diverse destination to enjoy country's scenery and cuisine (Andrade).
Linguistically, Rachid has exhibited an admiring capacity for shifting between languages and linguistic codes, a distinct feature of vernacular language spoken in modern day Morocco. Notably, Rachid switched between Arabic (Morocco's official language), French (Morocco's de facto official language in business, government and day-to-day activities) and Spanish ("Casablanca" means, in Spanish, "The White House") ("The United Kingdom of Morocco"). The French remains, however, a remarkable linguistic pattern in everyday Moroccan language.
For gender, males and females appeared to be slightly not mingling all together. Upon further inquiry, I was informed further segregation is even more conspicuous at home in Morocco where public appearances are most significant. (The segregation between sexes and feminine identity are discussed in further detail in next section.)
For cuisine, Morocco is most celebrated for her conventional dishes of couscous, tajine and harira. Having had hearty meals of all, I have experienced up close and personal Morocco's dedication to food as central to not only to family life but also to Moroccan public life at large.
Morocco in Theory
Set against a long history of conventions, Morocco has experienced differential shifts in modern culture, particularly in gender, acculturation and specific cultural features measured along Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimension Framework.
For gender, Moroccan women remain – particularly in rural; areas – "chained" to long-standing conventions. Given country's hierarchical nature ("What about Morocco?"), choices of Moroccan women (particularly in marriage and education areas) are largely decided by a male guardian, most commonly a father or a brother. This gender role has, however, been challenged in recent years due to numerous reasons including, for example, more education opportunities, increased pace of expatriation of Moroccan women (particularly in France) and, not least, shifting community approach to women rights and regulatory reforms. The writings of Elizabeth W. Fernea, an established researcher of Moroccan culture, highlight shifting feminine identities of Moroccan women over generations from conventional household settings into daring, public life engagements (Bejjit). (This aspect of Moroccan feminine identity was noted during Rachid's cousin's wedding as more "Westernized" women appeared to have mingled with men "naturally" and older, more conventional women appeared to "lump together" or with family members alone.)
For acculturation, expatriation has become an integral part of Moroccan experience. If anything, more and more Moroccans are living abroad, particularly in France, Spain and The Netherlands. In adapting to new cultural experiences, expatriate Moroccans are adjusting to new social, cultural and, not least, economic realities (Ouarasse and van de Vijver), an adaptation process Rachid is already experiencing as an international student in U.S. In repatriation, a constant obsession in every Moroccan's mind, re-adjusting back in home country is equally important. Yet, acculturation is not limited to Moroccan experiences abroad but also at home as Moroccans adapt to "local" ethnicities as well as to cultural differences encountered on a daily basis, particularly in more cosmopolitan areas and cities such as Casablanca, Marrakech and Fez.
For cultural dimensions measured along Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimension Framework, Morocco exhibits unique characteristics. Notably, Morocco ranks low along Individualism Dimension ("What about Morocco?"), emphasizing family's and group's (as opposed to individual's) role in Moroccan day-to-day life. Morocco, also, scores high along Uncertainty Avoidance Dimension, illustrating how normative Morocco is, particularly as far as family unfamiliar experiences and/or plans are concerned ("What about Morocco?"). On Long Term Orientation Dimension, a dimension used to measure how a community relates to past, present and future challenges, Morocco scores low (("What about Morocco?"), only to emphasize country's normative approach and reverence for past conventions and practices.
Reflections
The series of encounters I have experienced during and after my conversations with Rachid (and others) highlight, if anything, fundamental differences in, at least, perception.
First, coming from a linguistically limited repertoire background, Rachid's rich linguistic heritage has made him more flexible in adapting to cultural situations, as attested by his own compatriots outside Morocco.
Second, Morocco's emphasis on food extends far beyond culinary interest and into familial moments of joy and warmth. The sense of extended family I have experienced, particularly during Rachid's cousin's wedding, signifies, if anything, Morocco's extraordinary emphasis on family (even if not readily present outside Morocco) and hence collective joy around rich culinary offerings.
Finally, cross-cultural (particularly French) influences Morocco has been experiencing in recent years comes in response to changes in attitudes Morocco's young men and women are being exposed to at home and abroad. This is particularly applicable for women who, receiving more education and performing roles well beyond conventional ones at home, have assumed more flexible gender (professional and social) roles as is attested in a wedding I will continue to recall for years to come.
Works Cited
Andrade, Fritzie. "36 Hours in Casablanca." The New York Times. New York Times Company, 24 December 2014.Web. 11 April 2016.
Bejjit, Karim. "Female spaces, cross-cultural encounters, Elizabeth Fernea and the Moroccan experience." The Journal of North African Studies 17.3 (2012): 491-501. Taylor & Francis Online. Web. 11 April 2016.
Ouarasse, Otmane Ait, and Fons J. R. van de Vijver. "Structure and function of the perceived acculturation context of young Moroccans in the Netherlands." International Journal of Psychology 39.3 (2004): 190–204. Wiley Online Library. Web. 11 April 2016.
"The United Kingdom of Morocco." Every Culture. Advameg, Inc., n.d. Web. 11 April 2016.
"What about Morocco?" The Hofstede Centre. ITIM International, n.d. Web. 11 April 2016.
