Moroccan Academic Scene Mourns Anthropologist Abd al-Rahman Lakhsasī

The Moroccan academic landscape mourns the loss of Abd al-Rahman Lakhsasī, an anthropologist who dedicated decades to researching Morocco's diverse cultures. His work delved into both tangible and intangible cultural heritage, with a particular focus on Amazigh literature and the kingdom's collective memory.

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Tea sheds light on different aspects concerning Moroccan society in its constants and transformations; there is the traditional Makhzen state structure, the social and spatial structure, forms of exchange, nutrition methods, taste components, social spaces, relations between men and women, and the specifics of European colonial intervention, and reactions towards the new and the foreign.

Lakhsasī's influential work, "From Tea to Atay: Habit and History," co-authored with historian Abd al-Ahad Sabti, explored the multifaceted role of tea in Moroccan society. The book examined traditional state structures, social dynamics, dietary habits, and the impact of European colonialism, highlighting tea's significance in Moroccan life.

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Abd al-Rahman Lakhsasī studied at the American University of Beirut, worked on Ibn Khaldun's thought, then moved to anthropological studies of tribal society, and paid special attention to Amazigh literature and poetry. He has a new unpublished work on a famous Susi poet, Haj Belaid, which took him a lot of time.

He also collaborated with sociologist Mohamed Tozy on studies of Moroccan tribes, investigating the interplay between myth and reality in traditional Moroccan society, its class hierarchies, relationship with central authority, and the effects of foreign occupation. Further research with the late anthropologist Kenneth Brown focused on poetry, history, and society in the Souss region during the 19th century, examining intersections between written Amazigh literature and oral traditions.

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We met in the early nineties, and we worked for a long time on our dual book about the history of tea, which was first published in 1999. We had a common obsession: the interaction between oral culture and learned culture. I was interested in urban society, and he was interested in Amazigh society and Amazigh culture, so the interaction was very beneficial for the work.

Colleagues remember Lakhsasī for his extensive intellectual interests, which spanned anthropology, poetry, and memory. Historian Abd al-Ahad Sabti recalled their long collaboration on the history of tea, noting their shared interest in the interaction between oral and learned cultures. Sabti highlighted Lakhsasī's specific focus on Amazigh society and culture, emphasizing the fruitful nature of their academic exchange.

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Lakhsasī had broad interests, including anthropological research and an interest in poetry and memory.