In this episode we take you through Dreams of Trespass - Tales of a Harem Girlhood by the Moroccan author Fatima Mernissi. The book is a memoir that whispers, questions, and gently dismantles the walls — both visible and invisible — that shape identity, womanhood, and belonging.

Find us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/threads_of_ifriqiya

And TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@threadsofifriqiya

You can find the New York Times article on Fatima Mernissi here: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/10/world/middleeast/fatema-mernissi-a-founder-of-islamic-feminism-dies-at-75.html#:~:text=Fatema%20Mernissi%2C%20a%20Moroccan%20sociologist,her%20literary%20agent%2C%20Edite%20Kroll.

00:00 Intro

01:44 Book Intro and synopsis

05:53 The Author

10:24 Background and title

11:56 The main themes

18:18 What is a harem ?

29:17 Feminist momentum

47:17 Education

55:44 On identity and cultural blending in Morocco

01:06:35 Outro

In this episode we dive into Terre Ceinte, the powerful novel by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr—an exploration of violence, freedom, and resistance in the face of extremism, an extremism too often, rightly or wrongly, associated with Islam.

[Spoiler Alert: This content contains major plot details from the book]

00:00 Intro

03:10 The author, the title, and the meaning of Kalep

15:42 The main themes

18:21 Writing as a tool for liberation

26:13 The nature of human society

29:31 The maternal figures

36:16 Outro

If you want to dive deeper into the haunting world of Terre Ceinte, we invite you to check this reading session of the book by RFI (in French) https://youtu.be/yAqKKemM8U0?si=9jTsSl-RD3qmefOo

Find us on Instagram @threads_of_ifriqiya

And TikTok @threadsofifriqiya