Women in a Borderland : Managing Muslim Identity where Morocco Meets Spain

This is a study of female Muslim identity in a village situated in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, near the Moroccan border, on the shore of the Straits of Gibraltar. The study deals with a Muslim Arabic-speaking minority of Moroccan origin, with the spotlight on women as guardians of traditional values and as representatives of Muslim culture in a Spanish-dominated society. The strict sexual segregation, the seclusion of women and the adherence to Moroccan family law distinguish this ethnic and religious minority from the Spanish majority. In spite of the segregation of the sexes, the study maintains that women and men are totally dependent on one another for successful self-realisation. This interdependence contributes to the reproduction of existing ideas about female and male Muslim identity. It leads moreover to a concern with the sexual dimension in all aspects of life.