Moroccan literature in Spanish takes centre stage
From 2 to 4 July 2025, the Convento de la Merced in the city of Soria will be the setting for an unprecedented event: the 3rd Fundación Duques de Soria International Hispanic Studies Seminar Competition, dedicated entirely to Moroccan literature in Spanish. Entitled ‘Exploring new readings’, this seminar marks a turning point in studies on Hispanic production in Morocco, highlighting its literary, political and cultural value on the international scene.
This competition, coordinated by Professor Mohammed Abrighach (Ibnou Zohr University, Agadir/AMEII), has been selected as one of the three winning projects in this year's competition organised by the Duques de Soria Foundation for Hispanic Science and Culture, through its Permanent Observatory of Hispanic Studies (OPH). The award recognises academic initiatives that stand out for their contribution to research, promotion and visibility of Hispanic studies beyond the Spanish-speaking world, with teams driven by international universities and researchers.
A high-level programme with a transnational outlook
The seminar brings together specialists from Morocco (Ibnou Zohr University in Agadir, Hassan II University in Casablanca, Mohammed I University in Oujda, SMBA University of Fez), Spain (University of Zaragoza), Germany (University of Wuppertal) and the United States (University of Kentucky and University of California, Merced), articulating five thematic panels that address the evolution of Moroccan literature in Spanish from various critical perspectives: literary history, identity, language, genres and proposals for classification. Notable names include Cristián Ricci, Ana Rueda, Luis García-Vela, and Juliane Tauchnitz, alongside researchers from Moroccan universities representing both established specialists (Mohammed Abrighach, Aziz Amahjour, Aziz Tazi, Abderrahmane Belaaichi, Moumene Essoufi) and the new generation of scholars of Moroccan literature in Spanish.
A historic event for Moroccan Hispanism
The event is not only significant for its academic programme, but also for its symbolic meaning: this is the first time that a seminar focusing on Moroccan literature written in Spanish has received this international recognition, placing it on the same level as projects dedicated to classic figures and themes from the Hispanic canon, such as the project ‘Narrativas quijotescas en Europa y América’ (Quixotic Narratives in Europe and America), also awarded in this edition.
The careful coordination of Professor Abrighach, with the support of the Duques de Soria Foundation and the OPH, has made it possible to consolidate a space for genuine academic dialogue between the two shores. This event not only recovers historically marginalised voices, but also reaffirms the centrality of Moroccan Hispanism on the contemporary map of global literary criticism.
