In the Shadow of the Sultan: Culture, Power and Politics in Morocco (1999)

Studies on historical, anthropological and political aspects of modern Morocco. Rare edition.

Since the 9th century, Morocco has been ruled by a sultan-king who has monopolized the levers of power. This longevity invites questions about the institutions and social processes that bolster the monarchy's stability. This collection of 12 articles approaches the question of power by bringing together scholarship on Moroccan political culture as seen from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and historical moments. Focusing primarily on popular understandings of authority, the studies encompasses themes of sainthood, ceremony, submission, tolerance, violence, sexuality, gender and intergenerational conflict. They offer an account of the means by which the Moroccan monarchy has mastered the symbols of power and public representations.

Review
In the Shadow of the Sultan is a collection of essays which chart the intimate discursive relationship between popular culture and dynastic or governmental legitimization from the medieval to contemporary periods...By emphasizing cultural norms and popular perceptions, it replaces the external image of Moroccan monarchial hegemony with a more complex picture of the monarchial tradition as one facet of a complex social and psychological landscape. (Amira K. Bennison - Times Literary Supplement)