In the current context of a globalised world, where migration flows are constant, the Mediterranean region is strategic. The Southern and Northern shores of the Mediterranean are (and have been) constantly in contact. However, there is, in general, a lack of knowledge and understanding in Northern societies of democratic historical and political processes that take place in Southern societies.
If we look at Morocco, one of the strategic, associated partners for Europe, this lack of knowledge becomes even more evident. European societies carry long-lasting prejudices about this country, due to past colonial relations and orientalist perspectives. This colonial influence has particularly contaminated the consideration we have about Moroccan women, that have often been portrayed (in European art, in European literature, but also in the media, etc.) as passive objects rather than as active subjects.
However, women have been and are key actors in pushing for the democratization of Morocco. This has been particularly evident since the consolidation of feminist movements in Morocco in the 1980s, but also before, since the time of the nationalist struggle for independence. In spite of the flows between Morocco and Southern Europe, with the presence of migrant communities but also through international treaties of neighbourliness, flows and contacts regarding civil societies and women’s movements have been scarce.
These are the reasons behind the conceivement of the project RESOMFEM. RESOMFEM studies prison literature written by Moroccan about the Years of Lead in Morocco (c. 1965-1999), particularly during the decades of the 1970s and the 1980s, the majority of which were published after the year 2000. These texts, particularly those written by leftist activities that were persecuted by the Moroccan regime, are essential to trace the genealogy of Moroccan feminism and establish a connection between women’s political participation during the fight against colonialism, and the consolidation of a feminist movement in Morocco in the 1980s. Reading texts by women who experienced the repression and the events of those years allows us to have access to their own accounts, and break with our orientalist prejudices toward the “Moroccan woman”. Reading the texts written by women in a key transitional moment of Moroccan history is also a necessary step to, instead of talking about them, start a true dialogue with them.
