Maghrebi Studies Initiative

Maghrebi Studies Initiative was initiated to support academic research and public outreach about history, culture, and politics of Maghreb as well as Maghrebi diasporas. 

Among the sponsored projects was Dr. Marie-Pierre Ulloa (Stanford Department of French and Italian)’s research entitled “California Dreamin’: Tracing North African American Diaspora in California since 1956.” Focusing on everyday life, cultural politics, social networks and social imaginaries, Dr. Ulloa examined the influence of Maghrebi governments, U.S immigration policies, economic and educational motives, and socio-political developments on the formation of a distinct Maghrebi Californian identity (or identities). The project built on ethnographic interviews with first, second, and third-generation Californians from North Africa, an analysis of statistical data (e.g. 2010 California Population Totals, American Community Survey) and also an in-depth evaluation of activities and publications of various Californian organizations, newspapers, cable/satellite TV services, and web portals.

Maghrebi Studies Initiative currently brings prominent scholars and practitioners to Stanford campus to speak about Maghrebi history, culture, and politics.  Selected past speakers include Maurice Samuels (Yale University), Emanuela Trevisan Semi (Ca’ Foscari University, Italy), and Denis Cohen-Tannoudji (Société d’Histoire des Juifs de Tunisie).