thesis

Nochra : perception des rites maraboutiques dans la region de constantine

Defense date:

Jan. 1, 1989

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Institution:

Paris 8

Disciplines:

Directors:

Abstract EN:

Our study is made up two parts: documentary study a ritual ceremony, people's reaction to the ritual. In the region of constantine, there exists a marabout ritual known as nechra (or nochra) which is divided into two parts, the hor (meaning free) and the oucif (meaning black). The hor entails a pilgrimage to five places around constantine. The preparatory stage of the pilgrimage begins on the tuesday, after which, on the wednesday, the pilgrims visit five holy sites (freidja, sidi mimoun, l'ghaba, l'ghorab, bou l'ekjebel). They leave gifts and carry out ritual sacrifice of a chicken. After having described the two stages of the ritual, we producted a video document with the help of local informant showing the five holy places. The second part demonstrates how this document was used as the starting point for group discussions. The nechra is a ritual practice which is widely known but seldom discussed. The film will be used to inspire a free discussion between four groups of algerians students from the constantine area and one group of student born in france of algerian parents. An innovatory technique of special effect is used in a tv studio to allow the discussions to be recorded for subsequent detailed analysis.

Abstract FR:

Notre etude comprend deux parties: la premiere consiste principalement en la description d'un rite, la seconde en l'etude des reactions lors de la presentation videographique. Le rite appele nechra comprend le hor (qui signifie libre) et l'oucif (noir). Le hor prend la forme d'un pelerinage dans cinq lieux saints autour de constantine: friedja, sidi mimoun, l'ghaba, l'ghorab, bou l'djebel, les pratiquantes y deposent des offrandes et font le sacrifice d'un poulet. Apres avoir decrit les deux phases du rite, nous avons realise un film video (a l'aide d'informateurs locaux) montrant ces cinq lieux de culte. Dans la seconde partie nous utilisons ce document comme element declencheur: la mechra est une pratique que tout le monde connait et dont personne ne parle, nous utilisons ce fils dans des entretiens non-directifs, avec quatre groupes d'etudiants algeriens et un groupe d'etudiants d'origine algerienne nes en france. L'enregistrement des entretiens se pratique en studio, avec un dispositif de partition d'ecran permettant de recueillir l'information de maniere exhaustive.