Call for Papers – Turath N°6: Hassani Culture: Shared Heritage and Civilizational Stakes in the Saharan and African Context

Posted on 2025-07-30

Proposed by: Professor Mebarka Bellahcen

Problem Statement

Hassani culture presents a complex cultural phenomenon within which linguistic, social, symbolic and spiritual dimensions are interfered, what makes it one of the richest forms of intangible heritage in the Saharan-African space. This culture is the result of a long historical interaction among Bidhan tribes spread across Mauritania, Algeria, Western Sahara, as well as Northern Mali and Niger. From these historical exchanges, linguistic, religious, poetic and artistic practices had emerged, contributing to the formation of an identity that is both cohesive and distinctive.

Having transcended its original geographic boundaries, this heritage now stands at the heart of academic debates and cultural programmes aimed at preserving identity and building the collective memory in a region marked by overlapping logics of belonging, power and symbolic representation.

The recent cultural event “Algeria, Capital of Hassani Culture 2025”1 has highlighted the significant importance attributed to this heritage by cultural and institutional actors; not as a static local memory but rather as a dynamic element of Maghrebi-African civilizational dialogue. It also serves as a platform for rethinking cultural development tools, forms of social inclusion, and mechanisms of symbolic production within Saharan societies. As such, the Hassani heritage emerges as a central component of intangible cultural heritage, reflecting the historical and cultural foundations of Bidhan society.

The Hassani language serves as its principal vehicle, combining Classical Arabic, Sanhaja dialects, and lexical borrowings of African origin-revealing a deep complex civilizational interplay. This heritage manifests in a wide variety of expressive forms, including poetry, proverbs, storytelling, and narrative traditions.

Hassani poetry represents one of the most significant artistic expressions of this culture. It is notably characterized by the use of an archaic and now obsolete lexicon. In parallel, Hassani popular proverbs function as mirrors of societal values, their meanings ranging from wisdom and discretion to subtle social diplomacy.

Women occupy a distinctive place within the Hassani cultural universe, a position marked by respect and symbolic valorization. They are frequently portrayed in proverbs and oral narratives as active and influential protagonists-a portrayal rooted in traditional oral accounts and reinforced by contemporary female literary productions, particularly in short stories and novels. Some social practices-such as the celebration of divorce or the elevation of dowries for divorced women-reflect the persistence of Sanhaja traditions that place women at the centre of social recognition systems. Female literary productions, particularly in short stories and novels. Some social practices-such as the celebration of divorce or the elevation of dowries for divorced women-reflect the persistence of Sanhaja traditions that place women at the center of systems of social recognition.

Furthermore, the interest in popular tales offers valuable analytical access to the symbolic and moral structure of Hassani society. These narratives often explore universal ethical dilemmas, addressing themes such as the tension between good and evil, concepts of justice, and the promotion of virtuous human values.

Several prominent scholars have devoted significant research to the study of Hassani heritage. Pierre Bonte is noted for his in-depth analyses of the Bidhan social system, while Sophie Caratini has focused on the political and social transformations of this society. Corinne Fortier has explored questions of gender, corporeality and fatwā. Philippe Marchesin has studied symbolic systems and social conflicts. Additionally, the writings of the French orientalist Paul Marty-although produced in a colonial framework and requiring a critical reappraisal through contemporary methodological lenses-remain among the earliest documentary sources on Bidhan society.

This thematic issue of Turath seeks to approach Hassani culture through a multidisciplinary scientific perspective, integrating linguistic, anthropological, ethnographic, and historical analyses. It aims to deepen our understanding of how identity is constructed in a space where oral memory, tribal structures, and popular religiosity intersect, and where culture is continuously reconfigured under changing environmental and geographical conditions.

Thematic Axes

The issue will be structured around four main thematic axes:

  1. Social Anthropology of Hassani Culture: This section examines tribal structures, social and symbolic organization of the Hassani society, and the interplay between religious and temporal spheres in the production of symbolic authority.

  2. Hassani Oral Heritage: This axis focuses on poetry, proverbs, storytelling, and narrative patterns as means of preserving collective history, highlighting the role of oral memory in resisting cultural oblivion.

  3. Linguistics and the Hassani Dialect: An exploration of the linguistic features of the Hassani dialect, its relationships with Classical Arabic and Amazigh languages, and its pragmatic transformations in the context of globalization and digitalization.

  4. Identity and Religiosity in Hassani Society: An analysis of the various manifestations of Hassani religious discourse-from zawiyas and maḥāḍir to local fatwas-and the links between Sufi practice and popular imagination.

In this context, the Editorial Board invites scholars to contribute original articles based on rigorous scientific methodology, with the goal of advancing the recognition of Hassani culture as a living, dynamic field at the heart of contemporary social, political, and cultural transformations.

Deadline for submission of articles: September 30th, 2025.

 

Authors are invited to send their contributions through the ASJP platform via the following link: https://asjp.cerist.dz/en/PresentationRevue/920

 

For any information, please contact the following email address:
turath@crasc.dz / service.revues@crasc.dz

 

1 International Conference held in Algiers on June, 21st, 2025, as part of Algiers, capital of Hassani culture