Daniel Rivet's Histoire du Maroc is undeniably informative and provides a broad overview of Moroccan history, making it accessible to readers who may Daniel Rivet's Histoire du Maroc is undeniably informative and provides a broad overview of Moroccan history, making it accessible to readers who may be unfamiliar with the subject. However, the book has significant limitations that detract from its overall value, particularly for Arab or Moroccan readers who are likely seeking a more nuanced and culturally grounded perspective.
One of the main issues with Rivet's work is its heavy reliance on orientalist authors and frameworks. Orientalism, as a scholarly tradition, often perpetuates Eurocentric and exoticized views of non-Western societies, and this influence is evident in Rivet's narrative. Authors like Mar?ais and Arkoun, whose works are cited throughout, are emblematic of this problematic approach. Their interpretations of Moroccan history and culture often lack the depth and sensitivity required to accurately represent the complexities of the region. For readers who are already familiar with these biases, Rivet's reliance on such sources can be frustrating and alienating.
Moreover, the book often feels less like an original contribution to the field and more like a synthesis or translation of existing works, particularly those of Abdallah Laroui, a prominent Moroccan historian. While synthesizing existing scholarship can be valuable, Rivet's approach sometimes lacks critical engagement with primary sources. Instead, he frequently relies on secondary or even tertiary resources, which weakens the scholarly rigor of the work. This reliance on secondhand information can lead to oversimplifications or inaccuracies, further limiting the book's usefulness for readers seeking a deeper understanding of Moroccan history.
For Arab or Moroccan readers, these shortcomings are particularly glaring. The book does not adequately center Moroccan voices or perspectives, nor does it engage meaningfully with the rich historiography produced by Moroccan scholars. Instead, it often feels like a retelling of Moroccan history through a Eurocentric lens, which can be alienating for readers who are looking for a more authentic and culturally resonant account of their own heritage....more
This is my third time reading him. I have read last year "who rules the world?", and before it I couldn't finish Hegemony or Survival. Not used to hisThis is my third time reading him. I have read last year "who rules the world?", and before it I couldn't finish Hegemony or Survival. Not used to his ideas yet, but I found this short one really helpful !
There's some credit to give to Nathan Schneider for the light hearted introduction, that I spent a week almost just to read : it was very comprehensive of what was awaiting but not revealing the depth of thought to which Chomsky would go to not just explain but dissect anarchism. I kept in my mind his most basic and traditional definition of anarchism, that is : "...democratic control of communities, of workplaces, of federal structures, built on systems of voluntary association, spreading internationally..." But what distinguishes Chomsky probably from other anarchists if I'm not mistaken is the fact that he is not against working through the current system, which is not exactly pro-socialism. He depicts this clearly during one of the interviews transcripted in this book. What's more is that in order to give a whole perspective on what anarchism meant, and how it could be seen as a successful vision for society, he detailed the Spanish revolution to illustrate the anarchist experience in Barcelona and Valencia... Something that always fascinated Orwell.
What I probably like most in his books is the clarity and extent of details to which he goes to track historical facts, or just explain logically his point. This he says is mandatory for him to be not just understood but to answer his unpopular opinions aka, if he says Kadhafi is a terrorist he doesn't need evidence, however accusing George Bush of the same thing he is expected to demonstrate why he would say that ?
Not going to lie I missed the philosophical strolls I took down existential lane and miss that time and courage I had to grab a copy of De l'esprit des lois and followed Montesquieu in his long demonstration, and this just served this yearning right. I almost forgot about Fourier and his valuable input in urban planning theories : flexing urban/rural layouts for buildings called phalanst¨¨re to serve his idea of a society, his utopia. I gotta admit that I have a deep respect for anyone who'd had the epiphany of a utopia, carried on believing in it and theorizing about it scientifically - those visionaries are goals. Proudhon too ... Which probably says more that enough on Fran?oise Choay, she had a delight in lavishly describing their era as l'urbanisme progressiste, and gotta admit that Le Corbusier's Chartes d'Ath¨¨nes seemed like a pamphlet, some sort of commercial next to their rich trait¨¦s ... But let's not judge the man, let's give him some credit for trying !
"Nobody's smart enough to design a society, you've got to experiment."
In any case, the other important notion that was extensively discussed to my delight was freedom and authority. Long story short : authority according to anarchists had to be legitimate meaning justified if not, it shouldn't even be there, while freedom is your raison d'¨ºtre as a human being, you should enjoy your total freedom to do whatever you think you want to explore, instead of living in under a wage slavery ...
In short, the man is not a radical he just wants you to think for yourself and imagine how it is to be free ...
And honestly I closed the book with more questions than answers, so I'll just forget about him for a while now !
The bonus was his talk on Language and Freedom, one hell of link he established there !...more
Okay, so let us get one thing straight: this is not a bible! and what I mean is that, these are two authors trying to share their model of how state aOkay, so let us get one thing straight: this is not a bible! and what I mean is that, these are two authors trying to share their model of how state and liberty dynamics work. and it is by no means absolute of course. Basically, in the same logic that you would classify your tasks in the urgent/important matrix, they suggest using another metaphor (and by the way, they use the best ones). So let us go back to one of the first treatises on political philosophy: Leviathan by Hobbes. The authors use the figure of the Leviathan to depict the state (duh), and argue that there are 4 types of Leviathans:
1- Shackled: This is the best beat, and it represents situations where the state and society are developing hand in hand (almost, they use another catchy metaphor: the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland- the hypothesis that states have to constantly adapt and evolve to be able to survive against societies evolving demands - which are legitimate ¨¦videmment). So states in this situation are innovative, and society is keeping shackles on the Leviathan so it doesn't turn to a despotic one.
2- Despotic: Pretty obvious that this is the case where society fails to hold the reigns of the Leviathan and is a stance where the majority is used by an elite minority that is having all the advantages of a state. And at this time you'd be thinking, well you know what down with the Leviathan we don't need one. And that's the following category.
3- Absent : You'd think that in its absence, we will be having the best time of our lives right. No taxes, no obligations but you should also note that these are situations of extreme chaos. It's a situation where there is no warrantee that you can enjoy secure rights, because you don't have any obligations lol. It goes both ways, as Harvey from suits said about loyalty, remember? Anyway, a clear and sadly enough current example is Lebanon... there is no central power, and polarization just as what happened in Nazi Germany when: "A democratically elected legislature had voted itself out of existence." It is now clear that according to the authors that it is a truth universally acknowledged that any sort of human advancement is in need of Leviathan, so why don't have this cute frail Leviathan and just pretend? That's exactly what the last scenario is about:
4- Paper: These are as the authors love to call them orangutans in Tuxedos, so formally speaking it looks like a state, has the same instruments of a state and yet act like a bunch of small despotic Leviathans governing at once. It is chaotic, and doesn't yield what we're looking for: evolution and innovation.
The corridor diagram that explains how some countries walk in and out, or sometimes never make it inside it. And most importantly, shows the soft spot where a country has reached a balance between state despotism and liberty. At the end of the book, the authors reiterate that they're not pretending to have cracked it, but emphasize that history isn't ending any soon (hopefully) that there are many things to learn, and also some models that worked for some countries might not be valid for others.
If their point is this simple you might think, why did they need 500 pages or more to drive this point home? Well glad you asked, I had the same idea when I thought about skipping some chapters, but you know what in my case the journey was better than the destination.
First, if you have read Why Nations Fail before you'd guess that in this one too they made sure to scan world history for relevant case studies. Second, even if sometimes I wish they could go deeper in analyzing why certain parameters worked for a society but not for another the authors made sure to point out a few references for further research. Third, the storytelling part: so you might agree or not with the argument, but the rhetoric is on point... with minor flaws... Fourth, they spared no one!
Also, did you just make me read 560 pages to tell me that "le capital confiance" is what a state should harvest? ...more
First I am so biased ! So this review might not reflect the real image of the book, anyhow ...
I got to know Banerjee through network sciences and was First I am so biased ! So this review might not reflect the real image of the book, anyhow ...
I got to know Banerjee through network sciences and was super excited to drive the same experiment of microfinance networks in Morocco (only that I didn't succeed in getting the right data... someday)...
Banerjee & Duflo are nobel prize laureates and work on the economy of poverty and development. A field that is only too close to urban informality in a sense that it comes with all the fully fledged components : phyisical/economic/social/environmental ... etc..
Throughout the book I was led to look deeper into economic dynamics to understand the whys and whatnots ... Deeply inspiring as the examples were not only American but included a wide range of developing countries making it all worthwhile.
The intellectual humility in the chapters is just inspiring ! Needless to say this is going to be over quoted and cited !
Recommending it to anyone interested in knowing the truth about immigration : is it really a threat ?
C'¨¦tait pas ¨¦vident ¨¤ lire durant le contexte des ¨¦lections am¨¦ricaine, au lieu d'aller droit ¨¤ mon objectif j'¨¦tais distraite en essayant de comprendre les enjeux politico-¨¦conomique ... mais bref ! Super bon livre que je recommande vivement aux jeunes adultes, ?a ouvre les yeux ce genre de truc Wallah !...more
As short as it is, many of what Chomsky has been debating constitutes his main thought. He always digs in the news, and does his homework fighting forAs short as it is, many of what Chomsky has been debating constitutes his main thought. He always digs in the news, and does his homework fighting for the underdog and in this case it was clearly about the 6 jesuit priests killed in Chile. The historical study of the same stances was a major part of the book, and that's another thing he always delights the reader with. So expect intellectuals from both camps to have been tracked down along the way of history... And the last specificity of his works is the context on which he grounds all the final conclusions : he goes back to put it all in perspective and in a scene : in America.
The bottom line of this essay is :
"Intellectuals are typically privileged¡ªmerely an observation about usage of the term. Privilege yields opportunity, and opportunity confers responsibilities. An individual then has choices."
So whenever you read Chomsky you get lessons in History, Economy, Policy, Philosophy and Geography... This was a great cocktail!...more
This one was more related to social practices and hidden coutumes, namely informal dwelling mechanisms or sous entendues alternatives.
Equally interesThis one was more related to social practices and hidden coutumes, namely informal dwelling mechanisms or sous entendues alternatives.
Equally interesting as he first volume, the introductions for every chapter or part are really informative and interesting in a way that not only introduces the part but gives an insight about the authors different approaches ... Just like an article preceding article entries !
First encounter with a selection of publications that tacked informality and formality wherever it was through a sociological analysis. Which are founFirst encounter with a selection of publications that tacked informality and formality wherever it was through a sociological analysis. Which are found pretty much in every "social" construct/ normalization/ institution ... from economy, to law.
Particularly drawn to the taxonomy that was given by the editors for both concepts : the sociology of informally embedded formality, the sociology of formally embedded informality, the sociology of the interaction between formality and informality and the sociology of the emergence and transformation of formality and informality...
Another noteworthy point is one that doesn't confront the two "concepts" of formality and informality as a dichotomy, rather both are interacting and provide a grey-zone where new institutions and mani¨¨res de faire immerge (meta-formality & trans-informality). It's rather a pluralistic interaction ...
After Bouchanine's writing, this comes second for covering although partially the slums issue in Morocco. It was dense, and somehow super informative After Bouchanine's writing, this comes second for covering although partially the slums issue in Morocco. It was dense, and somehow super informative that you'd have to take a break before moving to the next paragraph ! I wonder how may urban-planners or decision makers know about this author and his work ?
Who can ignore that the Olympians of the new bourgeois aristocracy no longer inhabit. They go from grand hotel to grand hotel, or from castle to castle, commanding a fleet or a country from a yacht. They are everywhere and nowhere. ¡ªHenri Lefebvre, Writings on Cities...more
Dans le cadre de mes recherches acad¨¦miques, l'auteur y figure aux c?t¨¦s de Navez-Bouchanine en tant qu'acad¨¦miciens ¨¦minent qui a bien ¨¦tudi¨¦ la probDans le cadre de mes recherches acad¨¦miques, l'auteur y figure aux c?t¨¦s de Navez-Bouchanine en tant qu'acad¨¦miciens ¨¦minent qui a bien ¨¦tudi¨¦ la probl¨¦matique urbaine au Maroc. L'informel, y est d¨¦crit en tant que besoin d'habiter auquel les habitants ont eu recours afin de rem¨¦dier aux d¨¦faillances ¨¦tatiques d¨¨s les ann¨¦es 70.
On peut comme on ne peut pas ¨ºtre d'accord avec ses justifications, mais toujours est il que le travail d'¨¦tude men¨¦ est consid¨¦rable et respectueux, les conclusions ¨¦taient tr¨¨s enracin¨¦es dans le contexte de ces ann¨¦es, contrairement ¨¤ ce que nous vivons aujourd'hui o¨´ le PVSB a ¨¦chou¨¦ (quoique certains ont du mal ¨¤ l'admettre) ¨¤ r¨¦sorber la crise d'habitat inslaubre. (+10 500 unit¨¦s informelles s'ajoutent par an)
Le livre est ax¨¦ autour des notables de ville qui ont profit¨¦ de la situation, ont gagn¨¦ leur vie en sp¨¦culation urbaine, puis assur¨¦s leurs places dans les grandes institutions parlementaires au Maroc.
Toujours dans l'absence d'une loi cadre de nouvelles villes et conurbations, la loi 12.90 relative ¨¤ l'urbanisme et la loi 25.90 relative aux morcellements et lotissement urbains sont les seuls outils disponibles aujourd'hui (30 ans plus tard) pour faire la ville, dans un pays qui a ¨¦t¨¦ le premier ¨¤ pr?ner le droit de l¡¯urbanisme en 1912....more
Alright, so I learnt a few new things related to what can System Thinking be about, the issues it can tackle and probably of few hints at how homelessAlright, so I learnt a few new things related to what can System Thinking be about, the issues it can tackle and probably of few hints at how homelessness might be better cornered. However, I cannot confidently say that I understood the diagrams.
This is more a guide book to a "System Thinker", not someone's first book to read about system thinking and that's my mistake !
Not sure if I'll dig more about this topic ... ...more
The history of the most contested lands in the world. It started through Eastern lenses, and ended up on the Western's point of view. Almost comprehenThe history of the most contested lands in the world. It started through Eastern lenses, and ended up on the Western's point of view. Almost comprehensive of all what was going on in the world with a focus on the Middle East and Asia, and a time span that covered all the way from the Greco-Roman empire to 2013 ... I was astonished by the book's ambition to summarise the history of a vibrant continent across centuries in only some 500 pages (the notes take almost 100 pages) ! Of course a lot of details were omitted, but it was nonetheless a consistent narrative of the History around the Silk Road. The chapters were organised under themes that gave an idea about what was laying ahead, starting by the Road of Faiths, the Road to Concord, the Road of Gold, the Road to Death... A staggering composition that kept me turning pages passionately! Although I was only interested in the Ancient History until the industrial revolution, I found myself captivated by what laid beyond it. One thing is sure, Frankopan has a talent in story telling ! Few insolite informations were disseminated here and there, and I was curious to dig further on those.... Equally delightful was his way of putting events into perspective thus revealing more than the exotic romanticism I have associated with the Silk Road, e.g :
"For many Taj Mahal is the most romantic monument in the world, an extraordinary demonstration of a husband's love for his wife. But it represents something else too: globalised international trade that brought such wealth to the Mughal ruler that he was able to contemplate this extraordinary gesture to his beloved spouse."
Or at some turns of history, when the author was depicting the road of silver and the incumbent crisis that stemmed from China's love of silver "that became its Achilles heels" (spoiler alert: which produced an economic disaster btw) and the rise of a more connected international trade, meanwhile he same network produced wonders in India as it was opening up to the world:
"Globalisation was no less problematic five centuries ago than it is today."
From an architectural point of view, it was a spectacular read. I am not sure if it was purposeful or mere coincidence, but throughout the chapters the author would mention a few buildings, that encapsulated the spirit of the times, and give them a historical background that justified their design at times (the above Taj Mahal's quote), or their "political" role in other times. I was surprised to read about Hitler's Mountain home, that was, mind you, cited in "Homes and Gardens" as "the ultimate source of decorating inspiration." Not even recent designs were exempted, citing Norman Foster's design of an awe inspiring Palace of Peace and Reconciliation for Astana city in Kazakhstan illustrating a similar surge of riches as that of India a few centuries back ...
"THE SILK ROADS ARE RISING AGAIN!"
This was the best read this year so far, history wise ! ...more
Je suis mal plac¨¦e pour me prononcer sur le contenu de mani¨¨re critique. Mais en tant que premier contact avec le nationalisme marocain, je pourrai atJe suis mal plac¨¦e pour me prononcer sur le contenu de mani¨¨re critique. Mais en tant que premier contact avec le nationalisme marocain, je pourrai attester avec confidence l'effort fourni pour assimiler un concept aussi changeant dans un contexte riche en histoire aussi important que celui qu'avait connu le Maroc. La tentative d'approcher l¡¯ambigu?t¨¦ dont rev¨ºt le concept, est essentiellement historique, une arch¨¦ologie de textes qui ont vu le changement de coloration du nationalisme....more
The book is a fictional dialogue between More and a traveler named Raphael Hythloday, who describes a society called Utopia that he had visited on hisThe book is a fictional dialogue between More and a traveler named Raphael Hythloday, who describes a society called Utopia that he had visited on his travels.
In Utopia, Hythloday describes a society in which private property does not exist and all goods are held in common. There is no money, and people are assigned jobs based on their skills and interests. The Utopians are described as living simple, peaceful lives, with a focus on education, science, and the pursuit of knowledge.
At its core, "Utopia" is a critique of the political and social structures of More's own time. He uses the imagined society of Utopia to explore ideas about justice, equality, and the relationship between the individual and the state. More's book has had a profound influence on political and philosophical thought, and it remains a classic work of literature.
The book's themes of social and economic justice, as well as its exploration of the relationship between the individual and the state, remain as relevant today as they were more than 500 years ago....more
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