Remembering the Tatas

This historical ethnography of Tetouan rescues from oblivion the lives of the last slaves who arrived in Morocco in the 20th century and portrays in detail the power mechanisms of servility and the stereotypes of blackness in the Arab world.

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This book sheds light on the final process of slavery in Morocco, unraveling the contemporary roots of servility and stereotypes about blackness in the Arab world. Unlike other generalist analyses, this research focuses on the practice of servitude through a case study in the city of Tetouan. Until well into the twentieth century, bought women arrived in the city to join the domestic labor market, also becoming signs of social distinction. This historical ethnography is paradigmatic in reconstructing the relations between masters and domestics of slave origin, putting names and faces to subaltern people to rescue them from oblivion.