Global Indigenous Studies Resources

Bringing together different strands of research on Middle Eastern diasporas, the Routledge Handbook on Middle Eastern Diasporas sheds light on diverse approaches to investigating diaspora groups in different national contexts. Asking how diasporans forge connections and means of belonging, the analyses provided turn the reader's gaze to the multiple forms of belonging to both peoples and places. Rather than seeing diasporans as marginalised groups of people longing to return to a homeland, analyses in this volume demonstrate that Middle East diasporans, like other diasporas and citizens alike, are people who respond to major social change and transformations. Those we count as Middle Eastern diasporans, both in the region and beyond, contribute to transnational social spaces, and new forms of cultural expressions. Chapters included cover how diasporas have been formed, the ways that diasporans make and remake homes, the expressive terrains where diasporas are contested, how class, livelihoods and mobility inflect diasporic practices, the emergence of diasporic sensibilities and, finally, scholarship that draws our attention to the plurilocality of Middle Eastern diasporas. Offering a rich compilation of case studies, this book will appeal to students of Middle Eastern Studies, International Relations, and Sociology, as well as being of interest to policymakers, government departments, and NGOs.

This text is for students interested in learning one or both dialects (Ayt Ayache and Ayt Seghrouchen) of Middle Atlas Berber (Tamazight). The volume is in four parts, including units on phonology, texts dealing with everyday life of speakers of Tamazight and lexicons of the two dialects.
Published by the Center for Near Eastern and North African Studies, University of Michigan

The objective of this reference grammar is to contribute to the various works that have been published in Tamazight (tamaziyt) or Berber linguistics. This work aims at providing an overview of the structure of Tamaziyt language by describing its sounds (phonology), its morphology (how its words are formed and classified), its syntax (the distribution of its lexical units to form phrases and sentences), and how the meaning of words (semantics) is constructed and conveyed. The grammar goes into some details in some areas and could serve as a pedagogical tool for teachers of Tamaziyt (or Berber) and/or for linguists who work in comparative studies. The basic source of the data and the examples provided in this grammar are mostly from the author's own speech community, recorded examples from conversations with friends and family members, all of whom are native speakers of this variety. Additional materials were drawn from songs such as memorized Ahidous (High Atlas songs), folklore and songs including Amazigh artists such as Ahozar, Rwicha, Hadda Ouakki among others, all of which are available on YouTube. In addition, examples are also borrowed from references when necessary in order to compare the varieties.

A superb collection of Moroccan Berber jewelry is showcased here alongside historical and artistic context for the beautiful objects The Berbers, also known as Amazigh, are an ethnic group indigenous to North and West Africa.  For hundreds of years, Berber tribes of Morocco have created intricate jewelry to adorn the bodies of Berber women not merely to aesthetic ends, but to convey information about the positions of women within their tribal worlds, including messages about fertility, wealth, and social hierarchy.  This beautifully illustrated book offers a glimpse at objects from a particularly fine collection of Berber jewelry from across Morocco. Most often made of silver, Berber jewelry frequently incorporates coral, turquoise, enamelwork, and glass.  The objects featured here include ear and head ornaments as well as traditional tizerais, large, triangular clasps designed to hold garments in place.  Berber Memories also offers a brief history of Berber culture, with a focus on ornament in the context of the status of Berber women. 

An acclaimed Moroccan novel about resisting colonialism and environmental destruction An oasis community in Morocco hopes to stop a devastating drought by sacrificing black cows to satisfy the spirits. But the wise elder Bassou secretly plans a different solution: to sabotage the motorized pumps that have lowered the water table and nearly destroyed the subsistence farming and herding that support the local way of life. The young newlywed Yidir agrees to help him and eventually becomes a part of the broader fight for Moroccan independence from French colonial rule. Portraying an indigenous community undergoing radical change, The Sacrifice of Black Cows reflects on notions of modernity and tradition, science and spirituality, free will and fate, and considers the moral obligations of individuals and community. First published in French in 1992, the novel received international acclaim and is regarded as the single best work about Amazigh culture in southeastern Morocco. It was adapted into the award-winning film Atash (Thirst) by the Moroccan director Saâd Chraïbi in 2000. Here, it is presented in a riveting new translation by Paul A. Silverstein.

Text in Tamazight (Roman) with some in Tighinagh script.
Mohamed Oussous is a writer, researcher, and literary critic in Amazigh language and culture.

Text in Tamazight (Roman).
Ibiw n tarir is a new novel by the author Fadma Farras. Published by the Amazigh book association TIRRA in Agadir.