Rita Slaoui is a sophomore from Casablanca, Morocco, double concentrating in History and Middle East studies. She is interested in questions of gender, sexuality, and racialization in the Middle East, as well as in the intersection of academia and activism. Over the past summer, Rita had the opportunity to intern at kohl, a queer feminist academic journal based in Lebanon. She is also part of queer and feminist activist groups in the MENA region.

Project: 

This project aims to understand how queer individuals in Morocco (both activists and non-activists) understand themselves and their identities, create communities, and the kind of challenges they face. The idea of this project stemmed from the realization of the dearth of scholarship that exists regarding queerness in Morocco, and the lack of incorporation of queer and postcolonial thought in the few existing research. Through queer and justice-oriented ethnography, I would like to further explore the significance of online spaces, activism, sex-work, and friendship in queer Moroccan community formation. I am also interested in exploring how class and geographical differences intertwine with the formation of such communities, and the relationship of Moroccan queers in the diaspora with such communities. This project will culminate in the writing of a research paper, the creation of archive about the community, and/or the production of a short film.

Advisor: Pr. Nadje Al-Ali