During my time at Radcliffe, I will work on a book that explores how religion, race, and gender intersect in contemporary Morocco through a consideration of the visual and performing arts of the Gnawa. The Gnawa are the once enslaved peoples carried across the Sahara by caravans from Senegal, Mali, and Niger. The work considers ceremonial performances and material culture, including dress, color symbolism, ritual accoutrements, and musical instruments, in order to historicize Gnawa aesthetics, to reveal their Sahelian African derivations, and to consider the process of diaspora community formation in North Africa. 

A student research partner is needed for one of the following:

1. Library research on documents concerning slavery and its abolition in Morocco. Fluency in Arabic is necessary. This research gives the student experience working with primary documents that would allow me to historicize Gnawa practices and the practice of slavery in Morocco.
 
2. Video-making using original film footage I shot in Morocco. The student would assist me in all aspects of production, including editing, choosing appropriate film footage, and coordinating music for the film. The student must have knowledge of Final Cut Pro. 

Both of these projects would expose students to North African art and performance, and the history of the trans-Saharan slave trade. These projects would also give students insights to the process of art historical/anthropological fieldwork in Africa. I would appreciate working with a student who would challenge me to critique how my individual biases influence how I represent the “other” in my work. A student would be able to use their formal skills (knowledge of Arabic or video editing) to understand the roles and responsibilities unique to the field of “non-Western” art history.