The Humanist Individual in Contemporary Morocco

Abstract

Moroccan humanist authors reveal perspectives in their novels that are globally interconnected, linking continents, philosophies, and views irrespective of religion, ethnicity, or political dogmas. Authors Faoud Laroui (Méfiez-vous des parachutistes, 1999), Youssouf Elalamy (Les Clandestins, 2001), Mahi Binebine (Cannibales, 2001), Mohamed Nedali (Morceaux de choix, 2003), and Souad Bahéchar (Le Concert des cloches, 2005) write as existentialist humanists who ground their work in sociocultural and political commentary. Their novels promote the idea that the individual is always connected to the greater collectivity. These “engagés” authors are agents of socio-cultural change and act as “guide[s] to the confusing present” (Saïd 2004, 121).