Fouzia Elbayed: The Journey of a Writer Integrating Academic, Cultural, and Political Dimensions
Without much fanfare, we find ourselves facing a profile of endurance marked by discreet steps, who has navigated an academic path that combines Literature, Humanities, Public Law, and Political Sociology—a result of a dual academic training and a rich versatility developed over time. This is especially true when it comes to connecting theory with practical fieldwork.
Fouzia ELBAYED, as a writer, art critic, and researcher-educator, belongs to a category of calm and discreet intellectuals often characterized by measured writing, attentive observation of the world, humility regarding her work, and a moderate public presence.
She has contributed to the development of leaders and the mentoring of generations of students for over three decades. Additionally, as a member of parliament from 2011 to 2016, she exercised oversight of the executive branch, engaged in public policy debates, revised legal frameworks, and advocated for human rights in international forums and human rights committees, including at the Council of Europe in Geneva, Paris, Strasbourg, the ICC in Rome, and the United Nations General Assembly in New York, participating in both multilateral discussions and bilateral engagements through parallel diplomacy.
She has participated in leadership and mentoring programs for women to address economic vulnerability, build confidence, and enhance self-esteem. The issues she has supported are those related to equal opportunities, access to social services, health and education, and the provision of services based on universally recognized gender-sensitive rights.
Her work on the equality commission and with civil society focused on advocating for the expansion of social protection programs, reviewing gender-sensitive laws and basic income, reducing caregiving burdens, covering domestic work, strengthening the pillars of the solidarity economy, and increasing investment in health coverage as outlined in budget laws. This entails suggesting preventive strategies and policies to address dysfunctions and social inequality.
Her writings reflect a convergence of disciplines, ranging from anthropology and sociology to arts and literature, as well as innovations in education and teaching-learning methodologies. Her experience as a research supervisor, thesis evaluator, and multidisciplinary training enhances her adaptability to debates and her analytical capacity regarding issues, resulting in a broad vision evident in her writing as an author and in her published works.
She began writing her first articles in 1996 for journals and media outlets in the cultural section. This body of work reflected a particular interest in the arts and literature and culminated in her obtaining a Master’s degree in 1999 from the UFR Literature and Aesthetics at Med V University, focusing on Cultural Politics, as part of the first cohort of art critics specializing in cinema, painting, theater, novels, poetry, photography, and the history of art criticism and aesthetic movements. She subsequently earned a doctorate in French Language and Literature, titled The Impact of the Socio-Political Context on Cultural Production: The Case of Morocco, from the same university in 2006, employing a cultural anthropology approach.
Alongside her academic research, she has consistently written about art exhibitions and cultural life performances. She published her first poetry collection, Mindil A’dar, by Dar Atakafa in 2002, followed by The Colors of Reminiscences, published by Eddif in 2003, and Carved Words in 2018, which represents an artistic collaboration between herself and sculptor-painter Azdem Abdeslam, supported by the Ministry of Culture.
In addition to her academic work as a thesis jury member, festival participant, and editorial board member for publishing houses, Ms. Fouzia ELBAYED has served as the editor-in-chief of the journal Alfonoun, under the Moroccan Ministry of Culture and Communication, since November 2018. This journal is dedicated to art, cultural products, and events linked to both tangible and intangible heritage, festivals, and new book releases in the same field.
Following this, she authored three additional works focusing on theater as her long-standing research project, including Theater and Identity: Aesthetics of Transcendence and Immanence, published by Marsam in 2018, The Nursery of University Theater in Morocco, published by Manahil in 2019, and The Virtual Theater of Subversion to Transgression, to be published by l’Harmattan, Paris, in 2025.
She was among the initiators, within the Ministry of Culture, of the preparatory roundtable for discussions on the cultural industry, titled The Cultural Industries in Morocco: Towards a Public-Private Partnership for Sustainable Development Perspectives, held at the BNRM, Rabat, on July 9, 2019.
In addition to numerous scientific contributions and articles on “public policies” in journalistic outlets, she continues to engage in scientific research by participating in national and international conferences as a member of research teams and laboratories at the Faculty of Educational Sciences and the Faculty of Letters and Humanities in Mohammedia, as well as at the CRMEF in Casablanca, where her teamwork led to a collective publication titled Soft Skills in Teaching French and Arabic: A Lever for Student Competencies in 2022, with the support of the Ministry of Education.
In the field of education, she has produced four additional works in the category of school books: two related to assessment and exam formulation for high school, titled Success in College Exams and The Keys to Success in High School Exams. This is followed by two other publications regarding language skill acquisition and academic writing, which is often a challenge for students, including The French Grammar Guide and The Secrets to Writing in French.
She has also maintained a particular interest in inclusive education and learning disabilities within her research axes, supporting and guiding parents of children with disabilities through associative work, while raising awareness among future teachers about diagnostic, support, and remedial modalities.
Among her interests is reading. Public and school reading is intricately linked to writing and literature. Her latest work is titled Reading and Writing: Pedagogical Tools and Acts of Cultural Transmission, where she reflects on the connection between these two disciplines in general and on the challenges and specificities of each in the teaching of literature.
Why reading? She is asked. She replies that “reading” as an educational and cultural activity is of central interest to the community of intellectuals and producers within the book industry, and it proves to be a vital component in the educational curriculum of learners, highlighting the relationship between the didactics of reading and writing as key factors in acquiring linguistic competencies.
What is its interest? Her overarching goal is to stimulate debate around reading as both an educational and cultural activity, to encourage creativity, and to evoke sensitivity towards literature among learners, teachers, and anyone engaged in intellectual production. The specific aim is to initiate trainee teachers to become advocates for projects surrounding reading, to bridge the gap between physical and digital books and their audience, and to promote quality writing and ongoing publishing.
