From bandit to feudal baron: the image of Raisuni and the Moroccan resistance to colonialism in the Spanish press

Abstract

The paper analyses the image of the Moroccan leader Ahmed Raisuni (1871-1935) in the Spanish press between 1912 and 1927. This was a period of strong Moroccan resistance to the Spanish colonialism. The paper analyses news about Raisuni actions and also four reports/interviews published in relevant Spanish newspapers (El Imparcial, El Heraldo de Madrid, La Nación y El Día). The paper considers, at a discursive and metadiscursive level, the role of the Spanish press in the spread of dominant perceptions of Raisuni’s leadership and also of other Moroccan leaders of the resistance to colonialism, especially in the years of the Rif War.