Archives Through a Decolonial Lens. Moroccan Performers and Cultural Encounters in European Circuses (1820–1950)

It seeks to recover little-known narratives of Moroccan performers in European archives and shed light on their often silenced journeys across key historical moments. Drawing on sources such as newspapers, entertainment magazines, census and naturalization records, passenger lists, professional and apprenticeship documents, court records, passports, circus and fair programs, photographs, and scrapbooks, the project uncovers untold stories of cultural encounters between Morocco and Europe. These materials open exciting possibilities for examining complex discourses in revisionist historiography, offering new insights into Moroccan performers’ cultural interactions and marginalized histories, while enriching the broader field of postcolonial studies.