Les Dépravés de Dieu

Is transgression a basic feature of the category “youth” in Morocco? How does the relationship with religion—in this case Islam—contribute to the distinction between social age categories? To what extent is the relationship with God different according to whether one is a “youth” or a “man of honour...

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Main Author: Romain Simenel
Format: Article
Language:fra
Published: Laboratoire d'Ethnologie et de Sociologie Comparative 2015-11-01
Series:Ateliers d'Anthropologie
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/ateliers/10017
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author Romain Simenel
author_facet Romain Simenel
author_sort Romain Simenel
collection DOAJ
description Is transgression a basic feature of the category “youth” in Morocco? How does the relationship with religion—in this case Islam—contribute to the distinction between social age categories? To what extent is the relationship with God different according to whether one is a “youth” or a “man of honour”? Discredited and even rejected by Islam, celibacy, especially if it is prolonged, would seem to provide the most relevant perspective for exploring the limits of what constitutes a youth. This article begins with an analysis of a celibacy-treatment ritual practiced in many regions in southwest Morocco (a ritual that allows the “youth” category to be defined from the angle of both gender relations and religious relations) and then develops a more general study of representations linked to male youth—particularly as they relate to “licit” life and divine judgement. It is then demonstrated that in southern Morocco, from the religious point of view, men are “born twice”. It is between these two “births”, biological birth and marriage, that youth is situated. It is a time of religious transgression when youths are subjected to the influence of the cheytan and the West before returning as better Muslims. As God’s depraved ones, these youths distance themselves as radically as possible from a prescriptive Islam in order to then make a stronger choice to embrace religion with all their heart and become men on the road to paradise by virtue of marriage.
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publisher Laboratoire d'Ethnologie et de Sociologie Comparative
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series Ateliers d'Anthropologie
spelling doaj-art-4609ddd7879740f6bdeefc25566b37b42025-01-30T13:42:23ZfraLaboratoire d'Ethnologie et de Sociologie ComparativeAteliers d'Anthropologie2117-38692015-11-014210.4000/ateliers.10017Les Dépravés de DieuRomain SimenelIs transgression a basic feature of the category “youth” in Morocco? How does the relationship with religion—in this case Islam—contribute to the distinction between social age categories? To what extent is the relationship with God different according to whether one is a “youth” or a “man of honour”? Discredited and even rejected by Islam, celibacy, especially if it is prolonged, would seem to provide the most relevant perspective for exploring the limits of what constitutes a youth. This article begins with an analysis of a celibacy-treatment ritual practiced in many regions in southwest Morocco (a ritual that allows the “youth” category to be defined from the angle of both gender relations and religious relations) and then develops a more general study of representations linked to male youth—particularly as they relate to “licit” life and divine judgement. It is then demonstrated that in southern Morocco, from the religious point of view, men are “born twice”. It is between these two “births”, biological birth and marriage, that youth is situated. It is a time of religious transgression when youths are subjected to the influence of the cheytan and the West before returning as better Muslims. As God’s depraved ones, these youths distance themselves as radically as possible from a prescriptive Islam in order to then make a stronger choice to embrace religion with all their heart and become men on the road to paradise by virtue of marriage.https://journals.openedition.org/ateliers/10017ritualmarriageIslamsexualityMoroccoalterity
spellingShingle Romain Simenel
Les Dépravés de Dieu
Ateliers d'Anthropologie
ritual
marriage
Islam
sexuality
Morocco
alterity
title Les Dépravés de Dieu
title_full Les Dépravés de Dieu
title_fullStr Les Dépravés de Dieu
title_full_unstemmed Les Dépravés de Dieu
title_short Les Dépravés de Dieu
title_sort les depraves de dieu
topic ritual
marriage
Islam
sexuality
Morocco
alterity
url https://journals.openedition.org/ateliers/10017
work_keys_str_mv AT romainsimenel lesdepravesdedieu