Abstract
Using four maps of the city of Fes (1908, 1933, 1953, and 1986) this chapter examines the evolution of the toponymy of Fes, a post-colonial city, across three historical eras: the pre-colonial period, the French occupation, and 30 years after the end of the French protectorate. Fes is split into two well-marked districts: The Ville Nouvelle or ‘New City’, built by the French; and the Medina, the old town, with its Muslim traditions and Arab urban architecture. While the toponymy of the Medina did not change, the Ville Nouvelle underwent changes in street naming that reflect changing political and social conditions. The 1933 map shows many street names honouring French military heroes, while the 1953 map shows more street names commemorating French intellectuals and an increase in Arabic street names, suggesting that the colonial French power was fading. In contrast, the 1986 map indicates that the toponymy gradually switched from French to Arabic in the Ville Nouvelle as result of the Moroccan nationalist movement. These changes of denomination are a symbolic reclamation of the previously colonised space and an affirmation of Moroccan-Muslim identity.
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Notes
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Hassa, S. (2016). From ‘Avenue de France’ to ‘Boulevard Hassan II’: Toponymic Inscription and the Construction of Nationhood in Fes, Morocco. In: Bigon, L. (eds) Place Names in Africa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32485-2_6
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