Producing the Public in Arab Societies: Media Working Group

Amina El-Mekaoui: The Production of Public Discourse about the Moroccan Community in Transnational Space: The Immigrant in Local Media and Public Spheres in Spain 

Amina El-Mekaoui is a research professor in Sociology and Anthropology at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Mohammed V in Rabat - Morocco. She holds a doctorate in Social Anthropology from the Metropolitan Autonomous University in Mexico and a Masters degree in Social Anthropology from the same institution. She also holds a DESA in the Sociological Family Research, from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco.

Among the researcher's current interests is the study of international migration by adopting theoretical approaches from both the American and Latin academic traditions, especially transnational theories in order to research migration between North Africa and Europe.

Gender and racism issues make up a big part in the research that she conducted and which consists of a group of articles that will be published. In addition, the sub-Saharan African migrations to Morocco and Europe is one of her areas of interest as she currently oversees graduation papers on the issues of African immigration and gender. Amina is trying to develop her theoretical framework, in light of new approaches, particularly the anthropology of emotions to approach issues around illegal migration.

Some of her most important current work, which is in the process of being published, is a collection of essays that reflects the most important theoretical and methodological contributions and the ethnographic contributions towards her PhD thesis, such as an article about "the body as a mechanism and a technique for ethnographic research," "media ethnography: a space for sociological approaches," "tribal nationalism as transnational trend and a strategy to confront racism and marginalization." Amina has worked inside and outside Morocco on research and projects related to pressing sociological problems and contemporary issues with international organizations and governmental bodies, reflecting her experience and her methodological capabilities at the field level.