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| Association Marocaine de Recherches et d'Échanges Culturels | |
|---|---|
| Name | Association Marocaine de Recherches et d'Échanges Culturels |
| Native name | Association Marocaine de Recherches et d'Échanges Culturels |
| Formation | 20th century |
| Headquarters | Rabat |
| Region served | Morocco |
| Languages | Arabic, French |
| Leader title | President |
Association Marocaine de Recherches et d'Échanges Culturels is a Moroccan non-profit cultural association founded to promote cultural research and exchanges within Morocco and internationally. The association has operated in Rabat and Casablanca while engaging with institutions across North Africa and Europe to organize conferences, exhibitions, and publications. Its networks include partnerships with universities, museums, and diplomatic missions, and its activities have featured scholars, artists, and cultural policymakers.
The association emerged in the late 20th century amid debates involving King Hassan II era cultural policy, interactions with Université Mohammed V, and dialogues influenced by figures associated with the Union Générale des Étudiants Musulmans Marocains and the Institut Royal de la Culture Amazighe. Early activities referenced comparative studies connecting Andalusian music traditions, Tangier intellectual circles, and archival work tied to French Protectorate in Morocco records. During the 1990s the association expanded programs linked to UNESCO initiatives and collaborated with researchers from Université Hassan II de Casablanca and curators from the Musée Mohammed VI d'Art Moderne et Contemporain. In the 21st century its timeline intersected with cultural festivals in Marrakesh, projects responding to debates from the Arab Spring, and cross-border research with institutions in Spain and France.
The association states objectives that align with fostering exchanges between practitioners from MENA region countries, facilitating studies related to Amazigh heritage, and documenting oral histories connected to communities in Fez, Chefchaouen, and Souss-Massa. It aims to convene scholars linked to École française d'Extrême-Orient, coordinate exhibitions comparable to those at the Musée du Louvre and British Museum in scope, and support translations of works by authors such as Tahar Ben Jelloun, Fatima Mernissi, and Abdelkébir Khatibi. The organization emphasizes collaboration with diplomatic entities like the Ambassade de France en Maroc and cultural agencies such as Institut français.
Leadership typically includes a president, secretary-general, and a board composed of academics from Université Abdelmalek Essaâdi, curators from Musée de Marrakech, and representatives of civil society groups active in Rabat-Salé-Kénitra. Committees oversee programs in areas related to museum studies, musicology, and manuscript preservation tied to collections at the Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc. The association has employed project officers seconded from UNDP and consultants who previously worked with the World Bank cultural heritage divisions. Governance practices reference statutes modeled on French association law and incorporate advisory input from figures associated with UNESCO and the Union Européenne cultural diplomacy networks.
Programs have included research seminars featuring speakers from Université de Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, workshops on conservation with staff from the Getty Conservation Institute, and exchange residencies inviting artists from Algeria, Tunisia, and Spain. Activities range from curatorial collaborations with the Fondation Nicholas B. Dirks-type initiatives to public lectures staged in partnership with the Maison de la Culture de Rabat and film screenings coordinated with the Festival International du Film de Marrakech. Fieldwork projects have documented artisanal practices in Essaouira, oral literature in the High Atlas, and musical repertoires associated with Gnawa performer lineages.
The association has established ties with UNESCO, Institut du Monde Arabe, and academic departments at University of Oxford, University of Edinburgh, and Université Laval. Cultural collaboration agreements have been signed with municipal authorities of Tangier and programming offices at the European Union delegation in Rabat. It has partnered with museums such as the Victoria and Albert Museum for curatorial exchanges and with NGOs like International Council on Monuments and Sites for heritage conservation projects. Collaborative research projects have included scholars affiliated with Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and the American University of Beirut.
The association issues working papers, conference proceedings, and exhibition catalogues that feature contributions by researchers from Université Libre de Bruxelles and historians specializing in Maghreb studies. Publications have explored topics connected to manuscripts held at the Dar Batha Museum, phonographic archives in Casablanca, and comparative analyses referencing the archives of Archivio di Stato di Firenze and the Archivo General de Indias. Research outputs have been cited by scholars publishing with presses such as Cambridge University Press and Routledge and have appeared in journals allied with Arab Studies Quarterly and Journal of North African Studies.
The association’s work has influenced cultural policy discussions among stakeholders including officials from Ministry of Culture (Morocco) and curators at the Musée Territoriale Alaoui. Its exhibitions and symposia have been reviewed in media outlets circulating in Casablanca and Paris and have been referenced in grant proposals to institutions like the European Research Council and Ford Foundation. Reception among scholarly networks connected to Agha Khan Trust for Culture and heritage professionals at the Smithsonian Institution has been mixed, with praise for field documentation balanced against critiques resembling those raised in debates within Postcolonial studies and comparative heritage practice forums.
Category:Cultural organisations based in Morocco