Michael Toler

Books, Education, Historic Preservation, TALIM

Treasures to be discovered at the Legation

March 15, 2015 Leave a comment by Michael Toler

By Grecia Álvarez, MLIS, Guest blogger

Grecia, Dunya and Majda inside the rare books cage

When we started sifting through our collection to cull our rare books from the regular shelves and put them into their new home in “the cage” we never imagined we would find books dating from 1572, or even a parchment signed by King Philip II of Spain (Philip I of Portugal). In fact, we started out by pulling books dating from 1920 and earlier and soon found that our cage was overflowing, so that we had to cut back to books printed before 1911. Previously, these books were intermingled with our regular collection, which focuses mainly on Morocco, but it was decided that these books required special protection, and thus the cage, a small room with an iron gate, was born. Our rare books cover a breadth of topics, from early accounts of European exploration of the region, to government treatises, geographical studies, books signed by illustrious figures (including a book belonging to former Prime Minister of Spain Antonio Cánovas del Castillo). We even have copies of an 1889 edition of Washington Irving’s The Life of Mahomet and a first edition of Mark Twain’s The Innocents Abroad.

Media, TALIM, Tangier

Legation Featured on Inside Africa

March 8, 2015 Leave a comment by Michael Toler

This week CNN’s Inside Africa visits Tangier, Morocco, including TALIM, which appears around the 2:45 mark. See the story online here:

American Studies, Cultural Diplomacy, Events, Film, Music, TALIM, Tangier

March Events at the Legation

March 4, 2015March 4, 2015 Leave a comment by Michael Toler

Below are the events happening this month at the Legation. If you are in the area, we hope to see you there.

Monday, March 9, 7 p.m. Movie Night “The Furies,” starring Barbara Stanwyck, Walter Huston.

Thursday, March 12, 4 p.m. “Languages in the Maghrib,” Lecture by American anthropologist and author Dr. Kenneth Brown. In partnership with the Tangier American Language Center.

Architectural History of the Legation Now Available on Archnet

February 18, 2015 Leave a comment by Michael Toler

Section II, “Architectural and Historical Context and Significance” of the of the Historic Structure Report on the American Legation in Tangier, Morocco is now available on Archnet. You can find it by going to the the page for TALIM and selecting the link above the description labeled “Publication.”

This section of the report explains the historical and architectural significance of the structure, beginning with a general diplomatic history of Tangier. It then provides a functional and architectural history of the Legation building, including the modifications to the building, starting when the United States and Morocco first began negotiations, through the acquisition of Legation in 1821, damage to the property during bombardments of Tangier, expansions by the consul in the 1920s, the role of the Legation during World War II, and finally the conversion into a museum in 1975-1976. Finally it ends with an assessment of the current condition of the property. It is illustrated with historic images and plans.

AIMS, Events

CFP: AIMS Workshop on Linking Public Opinion and Political Action

January 21, 2015January 21, 2015 Leave a comment by Michael Toler

Call for papers: AIMS Workshop on Linking Public Opinion and Political Action
May 30 – June 1, 2015 – Tunis, Tunisia

We invite applications for the 2015 Annual Conference of the American Institute for Maghrib Studies to be held May 30 – June 1, 2015 in Tunis, Tunisia. This year the conference will be a workshop on the theme of “Linking Public Opinion and Political Action.” The workshop aims to strengthen our understanding of the link between public opinion, elite behavior and outcomes.

There is often a gap between public attitudes and political outcomes. For instance, public opinion surveys show widespread support for democracy in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Libya, but this support has not translated into smooth transition processes toward democracy. Similar gaps are found with regard to service provision, foreign policy and other outcomes, and the distance between preferences and outcomes varies across time, between countries and sub-regionally.  There are several potential explanations for these gaps. It may be that elites remain unaware of public sentiment even when relevant polls exist, or they distrust the information that reaches them. It may also be that some segments of the public are more relevant than others, and elites respond to their interests. Or, potentially, that pressure from those with political connections or other competing interests overrides public concerns – at least in some places, at some times.

Events, Literacy and Skills Training

Marche de Noël at the Legation

September 7, 2015December 21, 2014 1 Comment by Michael Toler

On December 13 TALIM hosted a Marche de Noël (Christmas Market), for the benefit of charities operating in Tangier. Scroll down for a gallery of images from the event. The participating organizations were:

Tanger Accueil
FTAM
Les amis de la SPANA
Tanger Accueil Migrants
Saint-Andrew’s Church
Darna
100 % Mamans
Maroc Amitiés
Les sœurs de Calcutta

Marche de Noël

Marche de Noël-a Christmas fundraiser hosted by the Legation to benefit local community service groups

Marche de Noël

Historic Preservation, Morocco, TALIM, Tangier

First Images from TALIM’s Collection of Glass Negatives Made Available on Archnet

December 5, 2014December 5, 2014 1 Comment by Michael Toler

Rue Portugal — One of the negatives depicting rue Portugal

Guest post by Michael A. Toler, Archnet Content Manager, AKDC@MIT

The Aga Khan Documentation Center at MIT (AKDC@MIT) has recently made available via Archnet, a first batch of scans from TALIM’s collection of glass negatives dating back to the first decades of the 20^th century and depicting various locations in the Mediterranean.

The collection of approximately 2,000 images is believed to be the work of photographer Paul Ruedi, a Spanish resident of the city of Tangier between 1900 to 1930. The collection of slides features more images of Tangier than any other city, but there are also numerous photographs of locations throughout Morocco, as well as sites in Algeria, France, Spain and other parts of the Mediterranean. To read more about the collection, click here.

The decision by AKDC@MIT to host the images on Archnet came out of a meeting that took place

Books, Events, TALIM

Morocco Launch of “A Gardener’s Garden” at the Museum

November 30, 2014November 30, 2014 Leave a comment by Michael Toler

TALIM Board Member Elena Prentice looks on as fellow Board Member Madison Cox signs his book — Another Board Member, Elena Prentice, looks on as Madison Cox signs books

TALIM in partnership with Librarie des Colonnes welcomed landscape architect and Tangier resident Madison Cox to the Legation on November 12 for the Morocco launch of A Gardener’s Garden, published by Phaidon.

Madison, who currently serves on the TALIM Board, spoke of how he and his collaborators had made what must have been the difficult decisions on which of the world’s gardens, great and small, to include in this beautiful book.

Morocco

Ceremony at the French Consulate Honors Moroccan and French Veterans

November 30, 2014November 12, 2014 Leave a comment by Michael Toler

Wreath at the French Consulate in honor of Moroccan and French who fought in WW I and II — Honoring Moroccan and French who fought in WW I and II

Des invités français, marocains, et autres se sont réunis ce mardi orageux pour commémorer le jour de l’Armistice au Consulat de France à Tanger. Des écoliers ont chanté les hymnes nationaux de la France et du Maroc, et une couronne de fleurs a été posée pour honorer ceux de Tanger – français et marocains – qui ont fait le sacrifice suprême pendant la Première et la Seconde Guerres mondiales (plus de 40.000 Marocains ont combattu pour la France pendant la Première Guerre mondiale). C’était un honneur d’être parmi les invités.

Books, Film, Music, TALIM

Enchantment On Sale through the New Year

November 12, 2014 Leave a comment by Michael Toler

If you are looking to get an early start on some Christmas shopping, you can do it and support TALIM by purchasing copies of Enchantment. Pictures from the Tangier American Legation Museum, by Diana Wylie, on sale for $14.99 (regularly $35) in our web store, powered by Amazon. All the proceeds from the sale of … Read more Enchantment On Sale through the New Year