“La cocina de la esclava y la fama para su ama”. Intercambios rituales y paradojas de la esclavitud en Tetuán

Enslaved domestic workers in Tétouan, Morocco, from the late 19th to mid-20th century paradoxically held symbolic power within their oppressive social hierarchy. Despite their subjugation, these women—often of African or Sub-Saharan descent—served as culinary representatives for elite households, embodying prestige through gastronomic labor. They also functioned as ritual mediators, protecting their owners through spiritual practices linked to Gnawa cofradías and sanctuaries. This study reveals how enslaved bodies became agents in clientelist relationships, wielding paradoxical powers of both harm and protection within complex ritual exchanges. Analyzing oral histories and archival sources, the research exposes the contradictions of slavery, where subalternn groups were simultaneously marginalized yet endowed with symbolic agency to challenge or reinforce social order.

Mateo Dieste, J. L. (2021). “La cocina de la esclava y la fama para su ama”. Intercambios rituales y paradojas de la esclavitud en Tetuán. Disparidades. Revista de Antropología, 76(1), e009. https://doi.org/10.3989/dra.2021.009