Journal article

Treasure Hunting in Morocco and the Rise of the Echonomy


Authors listEl Maarouf, Farouk; El Maarouf, Moulay Driss

Publication year2023

JournalJournal of Anthropological Research

ISSN0091-7710

eISSN2153-3806

DOI Linkhttps://doi.org/10.1086/723072

PublisherThe University of Chicago Press


Abstract
This paper exposes extant but obscured treasure-hunting activities in Morocco which consist of unlawful, risky, and unproductive digging operations. The paper focuses on a community of kanaza (treasure hunters) which shies away from the normal practices of money-making to capitalize on an "echo economy" (echonomy) that relies on orality and hearing (success stories/information about hidden treasure from past civilizations). It is a community of socially underprivileged individuals who often end up mistaking the economy for its echo, speaking less the language of economy, more the lingo of its shadow. Echonomists, far from designating a new economic model, push the existing definition of economy to the extreme landscapes of signification, denoting careful management not of available but of unavailable resources.



Citation Styles

Harvard Citation styleEl Maarouf, F. and El Maarouf, M. (2023) Treasure Hunting in Morocco and the Rise of the Echonomy, Journal of anthropological research. https://doi.org/10.1086/723072

APA Citation styleEl Maarouf, F., & El Maarouf, M. (2023). Treasure Hunting in Morocco and the Rise of the Echonomy. Journal of anthropological research. https://doi.org/10.1086/723072



Keywords


echonomyhopeinformal marketstreasure huntingvulnerable communities


SDG Areas


Last updated on 2025-01-04 at 23:54