Ethnography of Mawlid Nabawi in Beni Abbes

The aim of this article is to faithfully reconstruct the religious event of Mawlid Nabawī in Beni Abbes (a town in south-west Algeria), through the history of the Mawlid around the world and in Algeria. In the absence of any documentary evidence or research into this festive celebration, this is perpetuated specifically in Beni Abbes with unique local characteristics, In response to this gap we opted for event-ethnography as a method, based on participant observation and semi-structured interviews, in addition to the itinerary method, which enabled us to map the route of the festival procession. This study was conducted over the course of three successive years in order to faithfully reconstruct the unfolding of this atypical religious ceremony, mapping its procession and studying its impact on urban tissue. Moreover, the objective is to showcase the existence of social and intergenerational dialogue within the community, underlining the importance of preserving this mawlid as intangible cultural heritage.

Ethnography · Event (particle physics) · Identity (music) · Order (exchange) · Participant observation · Procession · African Studies and Geopolitics · Multiculturalism, Politics, Migration, Gender · North African History and Literature