Request for Grant Extension

Current status: Four months into Fulbright grant
Request: One month of additional funding (Nov. 10 – Dec. 10)

Overview

Having focused much of my undergraduate studies on religious relations in al-Andalus, I applied for a Fulbright grant with the aim of expanding my knowledge to encompass modern dynamics between Catholics and Muslims in Spain and Morocco. Specifically, I proposed to examine the way in which both groups used religious rhetoric to frame their respective positions over Moroccan combat in the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s. It was to be a historical undertaking, grounded in archival research that I would primarily carry out in Tetouan, the old headquarters of the Spanish Protectorate.

Now in Morocco, my work has indeed taken me to Tetouan, where I have been living for the past four months since the end of my CLEA grant. The city has thrown several curveballs at me, however. An important resource has been unavailable and personal conversations have been tugging me away from the original vision of my project as purely historical. I am eager and equipped to take a swing at these surprises but would greatly benefit from an additional month to do so. For this reason, I request that MACECE extend my grant from November 10 to December 10.

Mid-term Report

The past four months in Tetouan have been gratifying on professional as well as personal levels. Without a doubt, this city is the right place to be tackling my research. I have found a useful resource in the Instituto Cervantes, where over the span of just this past week, I have been able to pick up a leading work on Abd al-Krim, watch a documentary on the effects of Spain’s chemical warfare in the Rif and attend a lecture on “Inicio de la Guerra Civil en Tetuán.” Association ASMIR has a smaller library but serves as the meeting point for a number of local intellectuals concerned with preserving their city’s history, both material and immaterial; they have been receptive to my work and willing to assist me. I have also made contact with an organization dedicated to the procurement of ongoing pensions for the widows and families of Moroccan veterans of the Spanish military who died post-combat.

Through this group, I have struck up a friendship with one of these Moroccan veterans, whose personal reflections give a more nuanced perspective to my work. He is furthermore the Moroccan liaison to the Ceuta-based Hermandad de Regulares, an active brotherhood of Spanish and Moroccan veterans who served in the Regulares branch of the Spanish forces (predominantly Moroccan during the Protectorate but now entirely Spanish, of course). When we paid a visit to the Hermandad office two weeks ago, I met with several of the association’s leaders and arranged to return for the annual joint parade of Moroccan and Spanish veterans on June 30. Other connections I have established include the Spanish Consulate in Tetouan and a cultural club called Casa de España.

My personal life, too, has thrived in Tetouan. I rent a beautiful apartment from a wonderful landlord. He has introduced me to his group of friends, and I have gone hiking with them several times in the western Rif, as well as enjoyed their hospitality over lunch. Every week, a ten year-old girl in my building comes upstairs to practice her English with me. A family I met in a chance encounter has offered me a long-standing invitation for Friday couscous at their house in the medina. In short, this city – with its stunning view of the mountains, its hybrid Moroccan-Spanish ethos and, most importantly, its friendly and generous people – is beginning to feel like a home.

But, productivity and positive sentiments aside, there are two main frustrations that have marked my Tetouan time thus far. The first is that the General Library was closed for renovation until this past Monday, June 7; even now, it is the book sections that are open, while the archives will remain unavailable until September. Not only does this facility constitute the second largest public library in all of Morocco, it also holds the country’s principal collection of documents pertaining to the Spanish Protectorate: some 45,000 newspapers, 30,000 manuscripts, 52 films, etc. The inaccessibility of these resources has stamped out any real opportunity to progress in my archival research.

Because of this obstacle, much of my work has consisted of conversations with local people and organizations about the legacy of Moroccan participation in the Spanish Civil War. I am learning that the impact of this phenomenon is ongoing and significant. As one veteran’s son told me, “There’s not a family in Tetouan that went untouched by Spanish recruitment.” My second frustration, then, relates to proceeding with a wholly archive-based, highly academic project when the issues it addresses carry living weight for a people and place I have come to care about. The production of critical, nuanced historical texts is a vital task; I remain as enthusiastic as ever to engage with my topic on a scholarly level. But I would also like to produce something accessible to a wider number of people.
Given the experience and contacts I already have in Tetouan, as well as my foundational knowledge of the subject matter, I am confident that I can overcome both these frustrations. Timing, however, is crucial.

Proposal

My reasons for requesting more time in the archives should be clear – namely, that I have not had any yet! The relevant materials available to me there are vast, as evidenced by my visits this week, and working through them will require substantial time. I feel equipped to tackle them: the extensive secondary-source investigations I have done along with my proficiency in Spanish and steadily improving skills in French and Arabic should serve me well. That being said, archival investigations are relatively new to me, and the more time I have at my disposal, the more efficient I can become and the more substantive my final piece of academic writing will be.

Regarding the creation of a more approachable, more share-able product, I have in mind a sort of museum exhibition. It would encompass artwork and photos, from the Protectorate era through the current day, as well as text and aural narratives. For example, there might be a picture of my Moroccan veteran friend at age sixteen in his military uniform and next to it a set of headphones through which the viewer/listener can hear him speak about the friendships he developed with his fellow soldiers. I intend to keep it simple, informative and intimate. My aim is not to take on the subject of twentieth-century Moroccan-Spanish relations in their entirety but rather to tell several meaningful stories.

These are stories that need to be voiced. Most of the men who served in the Spanish Civil War have already passed away, and the opportunities for those who remain to share their experiences is limited, if not nearly nonexistent.

These are stories that need to be heard. They speak to the complexity of the intertwined history of these two neighboring countries, to a dynamism all too frequently ignored, misunderstood or lost. In recognizing it, we open up new forums for dialogue.

The project would entail interactions and collaborations with the local community that would not only be personally gratifying but that would also ensure its feasibility. Through fellow Fulbrighter Eric Saline, I am aware of several options for exhibition space and have references to administrators. Eric has also introduced me to several young art students whose involvement I would solicit.

While my plan is to keep the exhibit simple, such undertakings of course require time: to collect the visual and aural materials, to secure a space for them, to prepare for their display, to deal with unexpected creative and logistical roadblocks. Furthermore, I would like for this project to serve as a sort of capstone to my Tetouan residency, but the current end date of my Fulbright on November 10 makes that desire problematic, given that it butts up against Eid al-Adha, to be held around November 16. I am concerned that people would be busy with preparations for the holiday and that my student collaborators would have departed for visits to their home cities. Early December strikes me as a much more opportune moment to stage the exhibit. I ask, therefore, that my grant be extended one month, to conclude on December 10.

Many thanks for your consideration, as well as for the four fulfilling months in Tetouan that MACECE has already made possible for me. I look forward to your response and to all the growth and learning I know lies ahead in my remaining time on Fulbright.

(I should receive word about availability of funding, etc. from MACECE early next week.)