Moroccan historian Mustapha Chabi, Honorary Professor at Mohammed V University in Rabat and head of the editorial board behind the monumental Encyclopedia of Morocco, has released a new book titled “Faces and Issues from Modern and Contemporary Morocco.”
Published by Dar Abi Raqraq for Printing and Publishing, the book delves into key aspects of Morocco’s modern history, from the scope of Moroccan diplomacy under Sultan Mohammed Ben Abdellah, to the Makhzen’s meticulous care for horse breeding in the 19th century.
It also paints a vivid picture of Morocco on the eve of 1912, highlighting a shared passion for historical documentation between Moroccan historian Abd al-Rahman Ibn Zaydan and French count Henri de Castries.
Chabi also revisits the legacy of Allal El Fassi as a model of Morocco’s intellectual and political elite of his era, and traces the early seeds of constitutional reform in 20th-century Morocco.
The publication further includes Chabi’s reflections and testimonies on the work of historians such as Maria Dadi, Abdellatif Chadli, Mohamed Estito, and El Hussein El Mujahid.
This latest work continues the spirit of his earlier volume, “The Constant and the Changing in Morocco’s History: Reality and Interpretation” (2009), which compiled decades of his research and academic studies.
The historian, best known for his seminal work “The Makhzen Elite in 19th-Century Morocco,” revealed that this publication will be followed by a third volume dedicated to biographical studies of key Makhzen figures, scholars, jurists, and military leaders who shaped Morocco’s 19th century.
