FEZ Lessons

The infamous Scramble for Africa at the turn of the twentieth century disrupted the entire African continent with enduring repercussions. Morocco—standing at a geographical crossroads between Sub-Saharan Africa, the Maghrebi Arab-Muslim world, and Mediterranean Europe—has ever since struggled to withstand the resulting cultural and sociopolitical clashes. Fez Lessons: Industrious Habitat investigates how these clashes have marked the socioeconomic structure and the urban fabric of Fez and whether or not it offers alternative and relevant means of human association and community. Alongside a growing stream of large-scale international investment, the constant enticement of tourism, and a worldwide revival of nationalism, we are looking for tiny cues, nagging doubts, and signs of the fusion between form and life, raising questions about identity, authenticity, tradition, the globalization of culture, and the use of local resources.