Exploring Franco-Moroccan Colonial and Social Drama through an Ethnographic Lens: A Study of Paul Bowles’s The Spider’s House

Author(s)	Imad Youssefi
Country	Morocco
Abstract	This article examines Paul Bowles’s The Spider's House through the lens of literary anthropology, focusing on Morocco’s socio-cultural transformation during the anti-colonial struggle of the 1950s. While Bowles’s works have faced critiques for perpetuating Orientalist tropes, this study argues that The Spider’s House transcends such criticisms by functioning as a nuanced form of ethnographic fiction. Using Victor Turner’s concept of “social drama,” the article demonstrates how the novel captures the dynamic tensions between colonialism, nationalism, and tradition. Bowles’s portrayal of Morocco reflects not only political conflict but also personal liminality, where characters navigate the complex interplay between belonging, identity, and change.
Keywords	Ethnographic fiction, liminality, social drama, Moroccan independence, Paul Bowles, colonialism
Field	Arts
Published In	Volume 6, Issue 6, November-December 2024
Published On	2024-11-22
Cite This	Exploring Franco-Moroccan Colonial and Social Drama through an Ethnographic Lens: A Study of Paul Bowles’s The Spider’s House - Imad Youssefi - IJFMR Volume 6, Issue 6, November-December 2024. DOI 10.36948/ijfmr.2024.v06i06.31283
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2024.v06i06.31283
Short DOI	https://doi.org/

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