Encountering Morocco: Fieldwork and Cultural Understanding (Public Cultures of the Middle East and North Africa)

Required reading for a class. Just what I expected.

academic books of anthropology usually present a first chapter telling the reader what is going to be said, a second chapter full of jargon discussing not only the chosen methodology but also criticizing the alternatives and a final chapter telling you what you've already read. the main body of the books are mainly dry attempts at total objectivity. this is not the case here. ten out of the eleven essays in this book focus on the anthropologist's own struggles and feelings during their fieldwork, and are free of the specialist academic terminology that can put off the general reader. in fact two of the pieces ( those by emilio spadola and david crawford ) are of a type and quality which would not be out of place in a volume of "best american essays". topics touched on are quite varied: language choices, friendship, secrecy and suspicion and religious conversion. anyone deeply interested in morocco or what it is like to conduct research in the field will be satisfied with this gem of a book.

This was an excellent read from start to finish and I would recommend it for all anthropologists as it shows the difficulties, struggles, and rewards that fieldwork can offer. Morocco has long been a favorite of anthropologists and this book offers a way to look at it outside ethnography and show that research is complicated, mysterious, and unpredictable.