Moroccan Literature through the Myth of the Prodigal Son After presenting the way we perceive the Other first from an anthropological view, we examine the development of the socio-cultural aspects of human nature before and during colonisation. We suggest the reconsideration of the universalist and differentialist practices presented by, among others, Emmanuel Todd, in order to put the question whether religion can be, as suggested by Bikhu Parekh, a criterion of cultural difference.
Research in Imagology detects the emerged themes through repertoires of words regarding the Other. After analysing a number of French language Maghreb novels (Driss Chraibi, Mohamed Dib, Abdelwahab Meddeb), the theme of the prodigal son seems to have given birth to a new myth. Examining the novels of three Moroccan French language writers (Abdelhak Serhane: Le Deuil des chiens, 1998; Driss Chraibi: Mémoires, 1999; and Fouad Laroui: M�fiez-vous des parachutistes, 1999) we wonder whether interculturality born with the mythical figure of the Emigrant Son turned Immigrant more than 50 years after the liberation of Morocco, reflects the dilemmas concerning the perception of the Other in modern multicultural societies.
Last modified: 7 May 2001