What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to explore the interplay between Moroccan kif consumption, Spanish Orientalism, and identity construction in colonial contexts.

April 3, 2026

Humo de kif (1922): prensa española, cannabis marroquí y poder colonial en el Estrecho de Gibraltar

Key Points

The aim is to explore the interplay between Moroccan kif consumption, Spanish Orientalism, and identity construction in colonial contexts.
Analyzes the weekly column 'Humo de kif' published in 1922
Explores the connections between cannabis use and colonial taxonomies
Applies the concept of pharmacoloniality to understand cultural differences
Critiques the appropriation of kif in shaping exchanges in the Strait of Gibraltar
Demonstrates how kif and the pipe symbolized cultural differences that justified colonialism
Reveals the impact of aestheticizing kif on contemporary exchanges in the region
Associates historical materialities with negotiations of identity and authority in trans-Mediterranean interactions

Abstract

Resumen: Este artículo estudia las conexiones entre el consumo de kif (cannabis marroquí), el orientalismo español y la construcción de identidades en el Estrecho de Gibraltar. Tomando como caso de estudio la columna semanal "Humo de kif" de Antonio Robles, publicada en La Correspondencia de España (1922) tras la batalla de Annual, se analiza cómo la prensa española construyó taxonomías coloniales que clasificaban a la población marroquí según su consumo de cannabis. Desde el concepto de farmacolonialidad (Herrera y Ramos), se arguye que el kif y la pipa operaron como símbolos para marcar una diferencia cultural que legitimaba el proyecto colonial. La investigación muestra cómo la apropiación y estetización del kif moldearon los intercambios contemporáneos en el Estrecho, reafirmando dinámicas de poder. En definitiva, se ofrece una lectura crítica sobre los usos políticos del pasado y la reactivación de materialidades históricas para negociar la identidad y la autoridad en el espacio transmediterráneo. Abstract: This article examines the connections between the consumption of kif (Moroccan cannabis), Spanish Orientalism, and the construction of identities in the Strait of Gibraltar. Taking as a case study the weekly column "Humo de kif" ("Kif Smoke") by Antonio Robles, published in La Correspondencia de España (1922) following the Battle of Annual, it analyzes how the Spanish press constructed colonial taxonomies that classified the Moroccan population according to their cannabis use. Drawing on the concept of pharmacoloniality (Ramos and Herrera), the article argues that kif and the pipe operated as symbols to mark a cultural difference that legitimized the colonial project. The research shows how the appropriation and aestheticization of kif have shaped contemporary exchanges in the Strait, reaffirming power dynamics. Ultimately, this work offers a critical reading of the political uses of the past and the reactivation of historical materialities to negotiate identity and authority in the trans-Mediterranean space.

اسأل الذكاء الاصطناعي

Bookmark