Women, Gender and Language in Morocco

Books in English on the language situation in Arabic speaking countries are few
and far between. This is particularly true of Morocco, which is one of the most interesting Arab countries from the linguistic point of view. In addition to Arabic in
its different manifestations, Morocco exhibits a multilingualism that involves
Berber and French. This mix of languages exists in Algeria, but, unlike Algeria, Morocco has succeeded to steer a course of peaceful, though sometimes tense, linguistic co-existence. Fatima Sadiqi’s book deals with this configuration of languages on the Moroccan linguistic scene as they relate to one of the most contested sites of socio-cultural interaction in society: gender. Fatima Sadiqi deserves our thanks for tackling this subject, and for doing so in a way, we hope, that will generate interest in the subject in other Arabic speaking countries. She writes in an accessible style that is free of off-putting jargon. As a result, linguists, anthropologists and feminists will find the book accessible and useful for further deliberation from a cross-cultural perspective.