From ʾAlfiyya to Berlitz: modernising Arabic language pedagogy in protectorate-era Morocco

ABSTRACT

It is often assumed that colonial administrators across North Africa were involved, explicitly or implicitly, in the suppression of fuṣḥā (classical Arabic). This paper adds nuance to such generalisations by examining debates over Arabic language pedagogy during the French protectorate in Morocco. Drawing on official correspondence and internal notes exchanged between the Direction de l’instruction publique (DIP) and local school administrators, this article shows that, far from disregarding Arabic as a school subject, French colonial administrators actively attempted to reform and modernise Arabic language pedagogy by drawing on European pedagogical methodologies and new trends in foreign language teaching. I argue that these overlooked pedagogical reforms radically, if unintentionally, reframed classical Arabic from a divinely privileged language offering unique access to knowledge about the world, to merely one language amongst others, a token of a type, in need of being taught according to the universal rules of language pedagogy. In doing so, I suggest that protectorate-era Arabic classes in DIP-run schools helped lay the foundation for postcolonial debates over Arabisation and the status of Arabic dialects.

KEYWORDS:

• Morocco
• Arabic language
• pedagogy
• colonialism
• modernity

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the France Chicago Center under the Hervé and Isabelle de la Vauvre Research Fellowship. I would like to extend a special thanks to Hussein Agrama, Amara Ahmed, Janet Conor, Mickey Dietler, Rémi Hadad, Cameron Hu, and the late Michael Silverstein, as well as the anonymous reviewers from this journal for providing help at various stages of the research and writing process.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 In the context of protectorate-run schools in Morocco, the Arabic term faqīh (often transliterated by French administrators as fquih, fqih, or faqih) was generally used for Moroccan instructors tasked with teaching 'religious' subjects. Conversely, the Arabic term mudarris (often transliterated as mouderres, mouderrès, or mouderris) was used for Moroccan instructors tasked with teaching Arabic language and literature. As this example shows, however, French administrators frequently used the terms interchangeably, and the same Moroccan instructor was sometimes tasked with teaching both subjects.

2 Letter from George Hardy to the director of the École de fils de notables musulmans Fès, 'a.s. de la rédaction de livres arabes', 6 December 1922, 3MA/900/6, CADN.

3 'Karaouiyine et le Collège musulman de Fez', 12 February 1918, 3MA/900/43, CADN.

4 Louis Brunot, 'Circulaire au sujet de l'enseignement de l’arabe', 14 January 1937, 3MA/900/5, CADN.

5 'Horaire hebdomadaire consacré à l’arabe dans l’enseignement primaire et professionnel musulman', undated, 3MA/900/5, CADN.

6 Louis Brunot, 'Circulaire au sujet de l'enseignement de l’arabe et du Coran dans les écoles primaires', 2 April 1936, 3MA/900/84, CADN.

7 Louis Brunot, 'n°146 Karaouiyine et le Collège musulman de Fez', 12 February 1918, 3MA/900/43, CADN.

8 For a more nuanced perspective on such pedagogies, particularly as they relate to embodiment, see Gade (2004), El Shakry (2019), and Ware (2014).

9 Marty is more well known as the promulgator of the notion of Islam noir, which he developed during his time in West Africa prior to being stationed in Morocco.

10 Paul Marty, 'L’Université de Qaraouiyne', 1925, 1MA/200/643, CADN.

11 Louis Brunot, 'Karaouiyine et le Collège musulman de Fez', 12 February 1918, 3MA/900/43, CADN.

12 Louis Brunot, 'Circulaire au sujet de l'enseignement de l’arabe', 14 January 1937, 3MA/900/5, CADN.

13 Letter from Louis Brunot to the director of the École de Lemtiyine, 'Suite à votre rapport trimestriel', 16 January 1923, 3MA/900/4, CADN.

14 'Programmes des collèges musulmans: principes généraux', undated, 1MA/300/112, CADN.

15 Évariste Lévy-Provençal, 'Note pour Monsieur le Directeur Général du Cabinet militaire et des Affaires indigènes', undated, 1MA/200/643, CADN.

16 Letter from George Hardy to the director of the École de fils de notables musulmans Fès, 'a.s. de la rédaction de livres arabes', 6 December 1922, 3MA/900/6, CADN.

17 Letter from Louis Brunot to the director of the Collège musulman in Rabat, 'Mutation de Si Aqasbi', 28 November 1935, 3MA/900/31, CADN.

18 Note from the Service de l’enseignement secondaire, primaire, et professionel musulman to the director general of Instruction publique, 'Remplacement de Si Aqasbi à Fès', 30 December 1935, 3MA/900/31, CADN. In both cases, the men in question already worked at the schools, but their hours were increased in order to make up for the absence of their former colleague.

19 Letter from the délégué for the Organisation et au contrôle de l’enseignement dans les régions de Fez Meknès to the director of Enseignement in Rabat, 'Ecoles de Meknes, 26 January 1915, 4MA/900/63, CADN.

20 Letter from the director of the Collège musulman in Rabat to the director general of Instruction publique, 'A.S. des livres scolaires', 21 June 1921, 3MA/900/33, CADN.

21 Louis Brunot, 'Circulaire au sujet de l'enseignement de l’arabe', 14 January 1937, 3MA/900/5, CADN.

22 Letter from Louis Brunot to the director of the École de fils de notables in Fez, 11 April 1922, 3MA/900/6, CADN.

23 Letter from Louis Brunot to the director of the École de fils de notables in Fez, 11 April 1922, 3MA/900/6, CADN.

24 Robert Lemaire, 'Observations suggérées par la lettre adressée par M. Flandrin, Président de la Sous-Commission de pays islamiques du Comité parlementaire d’action à l’étranger, au Ministre des Affaires étrangères', 25 April 1918, 1MA/300/109, CADN.

25 Letter from George Hardy to the director of the École de fils de notables musulmans Fès, 'a.s. de la rédaction de livres arabes', 6 December 1922, 3MA/900/6, CADN.

26 'Pièces jointes au Rapport trimestriel octobre-novembre-décembre 1922', 31 December 1922, 3MA/900/6, CADN.

27 Louis Brunot, 'Circulaire au sujet de l’enseignement de l’arabe', 14 January 1937, 3MA/900/5, CADN.

28 Letter from Louis Brunot to the director of the Collège musulman in Fez, 'Recrutement d’un fquih pour remplacer Si Seddik el Fassi', 18 December 1936, 3MA/900/4, CADN.

29 Handwritten notes about candidates, 5 January 1937, 3MA/900/4, CADN.

30 Handwritten notes about candidates, 5 January 1937, 3MA/900/4, CADN.

31 Handwritten notes about candidates, 5 January 1937, 3MA/900/4, CADN.

32 Louis Brunot, 'Circulaire au sujet de l’enseignement de l’arabe', 14 January 1937, 3MA/900/5, CADN.

33 Louis Brunot, 'Circulaire au sujet de l’enseignement de l’arabe', 14 January 1937, 3MA/900/5, CADN.

34 Louis Brunot, 'Circulaire au sujet de l’enseignement de l’arabe', 14 January 1937, 3MA/900/5, CADN.

35 'Extrait d’une lettre personnelle de W. M. Marçais à M. Gotteland', 18 May 1939, 3MA/900/84, CADN.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the France Chicago Center's Hervé and Isabelle de la Vauvre Research Fellowship.