“Moroccan” (Tourist) Things
Categories: Collecting, Material Culture, Photo Essays, Representation, Souvenirs, Tourism • Tags: Morocco, Orientalism, souvenir, tourism, tourist experience, travel
gallery Archives
Surveillance Graffiti
Categories: Photo Essays, Public Art, Surveillance • Tags: graffiti, Morocco
Knockoff Films and Software in Morocco
While walking in old medina of Essaouria, Morocco, I passed a street stall filled with rows of knockoff films and software for sale. I couldn’t tell where they were made, but they appeared to be packaged exactly the same as knockoff software sold in China.
Categories: Fakes and Forgeries, Made in China • Tags: Essaouria, fakes, Morocco, movies, software
Checking Out Products in Marrakech Marjane Hypermarket
Between tourist stops in Marrakech we passed a Marjane Hypermarket. Since I have done some work in Walmart stores in China, I was curious what a supermarket in Morocco might look like—especially because most of the products we saw for sale were in local markets. With only about 30 minutes to stop I made a quick walkthrough of the store and, since I wasn’t sure about photography, I just took a few photos with my iPhone. The layout of the […]
Categories: Consumption, Food, Toys • Tags: Barbie, flour, Gender, Made in China, Marjane, Marrakech, Marvel Superheroes, Morocco, ramen, superheroes, supermarket
Mystery Object #16: Moroccan Christmas Trees
This is a quick snap from my iPhone of some Christmas Trees I found for sale in the square at Meknes, Morocco. If I had had more time I would have taken a few more, but this does capture the range of styles–green ones with fruit and mysterious black ones with trunks. The one in the foreground on the right even has a light dusting of snow. I have no idea who might be buying these or where they were […]
Categories: Objects of Power, Uncategorized • Tags: Christmas Tree, Morocco
Mystery Object #15: The Spider-Man Fes in Fes
Today, while walking in the old city of Fes, I happened upon a person selling fine festival clothing–including some fezzes. I don’t know why I have been so interested in finding a fes in Fes, but I imagine it has something to do with going to the Shriner’s Circus as a kid. The fes and the Shriners, are well-known symbols of 19th century American Orientalism–the Orientalism of male secret societies with exotic clothing, rituals, cloaks and hats. It is an […]
Categories: Mystery Objects • Tags: Fes, festival, Fez, Marvel Comics, Morocco, Orientalism, Spiderman
Mystery Object #3: Snow Globes
I have a small collection of souvenirs collected on a shelf in my office. I they are not personal souvenirs, but a teaching collection that I use in a class I teach on the anthropology of travel: Pilgrims, Travelers, and Tourists. For this reason, I have tended to collect the most kitschy souvenirs I can find—souvenirs that scream, “I am a souvenir!” In other words, I have been collecting meta-souvenirs which reference their souvenir-ness more than the site where they were […]
Categories: Made in China, Mystery Objects, Tourism • Tags: Casablanca, China, Morocco, Paris, Rome, snow globe, souvenir, Susan Stewart, travel, vacation
MUSEUM FATIGUE 