The Periodization and Writing of Morocco’s History

Abstract

Traditional periodization engages with the particular historical standard of political history, concerned with volatile, constantly evolving political, diplomatic, and military fluctuations in the short term. When it comes to the history of social and economic structures, this periodization process becomes difficult especially when discussing the transition from the Middle Ages into modernity. Hence, the structural level – the long term or longue durée according to Fernand Braudel – requires a degree of flexibility in going about things. From this perspective, the article discusses the problem of the "beginning of the modern era" (the 16th century, during the Saadi Sultanate in Morocco) and the extent to which it is necessary to revisit assumptions related thereto. In other words, is it possible to speak of a modern era in the absence of modernity, outwardly or structurally? The study illustrates the socioeconomic and political continuity of this mediaeval model, as well as the triumph of tradition over innovation: mentalities are still governed by religious authority in politics, practices, behaviours, and sensitivities.