Tunis/Tunisia — Tunis, Nov 20 (TAP, interview by Rim Kacem) - Tunisian historian Abdeljelil Temimi called for stepping up efforts to collect and preserve individual testimonies, which he considers essential for writing the contemporary history of the Arab world.
"It is unjust to neglect those who built this nation and to let their testimonies die with them," he told TAP.
The interview follows his recent accolade in the United Arab Emirates, where he had been awarded the 19th Al Owais Prize in the Future Human Studies category, for his work Studies on the History of Ottoman Maghreb in the 16th Century, becoming the 7th Tunisian, across various disciplines, to receive this prestigious distinction awarded by the Al Owais Cultural Foundation.
Founder of the Temimi Foundation for Scientific Research and Information in the 1980s, the 87-year-old historian indicated that several unpublished testimonies are currently being recorded and will be published in the Dictionary of National Memory series.
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
Temimi pointed out the need of what he terms "archives of lived experience" -- personal narratives he considers a major source, akin to practices in Europe.
He lamented the loss of many Tunisian and Arab voices whose stories were never collected. "We have missed a precious opportunity," he said.
The historian also revisited his research on the Ottoman presence in the Maghreb. He argued that the term "occupation," long used by some Arab historians, does not reflect a thorough analysis of available documents.
Instead, he proposes the concept of "Ottomanisation of the Maghreb provinces" to describe the administrative system of the period. He urged Arab researchers and institutions to reconsider their approaches.
Temimi further spoke about a substantial corpus of documents relating to Ottoman Libya, calling on Libyan historians to re-examine this period, arguing that the study of the Ottoman past in the Maghreb "contains essential lessons" for the region.
He published eight volumes, each nearly 900 pages, compiling hundreds of testimonies recorded at the headquarters of his foundation. Among the most notable is the account of the son of Salah Ben Youssef, recounting "the injustices suffered by his family, as well as stories relating to the property of former Beys."
New, unpublished testimonies include research on Ottoman music and on the habous (endowment) properties of the Sadikia. Two new volumes of the Dictionary of National Memory are planned.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Temimi urged anyone possessing historical testimony to contribute "to enhance knowledge and scientific research," pointing to researchers capable of continuing the decades-long documentary collection, including Tlili El-Ajili, known for studies on the habous of the Holy Sites and the Sadikia.
Reflecting on his career, Temimi spoke of early obstacles, particularly difficulties accessing Tunisian universities, and said he had contributed to the development of several academic journals, notably Revue d'Histoire Maghrébine and La Revue Arabe d'Histoire Ottomane.
He called on the new generation to "defend Tunisia's history within its Maghreb framework," underlining the need to command foreign languages, particularly Italian, given the wealth of archives on the Maghreb preserved in Italy.
Temimi owns a vast library of 21,000 volumes, currently being digitised in collaboration with the National Library and the National Archives of Tunisia.
He encouraged young researchers to explore the past "with responsibility and lucidity."
English: Ben Dhaou Nejiba
