Introduction
Welcome back. In our last lesson, you took the crucial first step in designing your PhD project by learning how to formulate a precise and viable research question. That question is the destination for your research journey. Today, we focus on the vehicle that will get you there.
Our learning outcome is to select and justify the specific theoretical framework that will guide your proposed analysis. A theoretical framework is much more than a list of thinkers you admire; it is the intellectual architecture of your dissertation. It's the set of interlocking concepts, theories, and assumptions that you will use to interpret your findings and build your argument. It provides the rationale for your entire approach, explaining to your reader why you are analyzing your chosen films in a particular way and how this analysis will produce new knowledge.
For your project, a robust framework will need to bridge the pillars you've identified as central to your inquiry: production, perception, immersion, and cultural identity. This lesson will explore powerful theoretical models that can help you do just that, with a specific focus on frameworks tailored to the cultural and historical context of Morocco.
1. Pillars for Your Framework: Phenomenology and Postcolonialism
A strong theoretical framework for your PhD will likely be a synthesis, drawing from different schools of thought to create a lens uniquely suited to your research question. Based on the ground we've covered, two major pillars stand out as essential for your project: phenomenology, to address perception and immersion, and postcolonial theory, to address cultural identity and power.
Let's briefly revisit these two pillars to see how they provide a foundation for your analysis.
First, phenomenology offers a powerful vocabulary for describing the lived, sensory experience of watching a film. As you'll recall from our module on immersion, thinkers like Vivian Sobchack use phenomenology to move beyond purely textual interpretation and analyze our embodied, pre-reflective engagement with cinema.
To refresh and deepen your understanding of this approach, please watch this introductory video.
Intro to Phenomenology and Vivian Sobchack's Film Theory
This video, 'Intro to Phenomenology and Vivian Sobchack's Film Theory,' provides a concise overview of the key concepts that make phenomenology so useful for film analysis.
Please watch the following segments: What is Phenomenology? (00:00 - 02:36): Focus on the core idea of studying how things appear to us and the structures of experience. Pre-Reflective Experience & Embodiment (12:23 - 19:11): Pay close attention to the discussion of pre-reflective bodily responsiveness and the intermingling of the senses. This is directly applicable to analyzing how we feel a soundscape, not just interpret it. Description vs. Interpretation (19:11 - 33:28): This is a critical distinction. Note how phenomenology, much like Susan Sontag's 'Against Interpretation,' urges us to attend to the sensuous surface of the artwork itself, which is a powerful move for sound analysis.
Second, postcolonial theory provides the critical lens needed to analyze sound within the specific historical and cultural context of Morocco. It prompts us to ask questions about power, representation, and identity: Whose sounds are amplified? How do soundscapes reinforce or challenge colonial legacies?
This next video offers a solid introduction to the core tenets of postcolonial theory.
Postcolonialism: WTF? An Intro to Postcolonial Theory
The video 'Postcolonialism: WTF? An Intro to Postcolonial Theory' by Tom Nicholas breaks down the foundational concepts you'll need.
Please watch from 01:35 to 10:24. As you watch, consider how these ideas could apply to sound: Legacy of Colonialism: Think about how sonic representations might carry the legacy of colonialism. Orientalism and 'Othering': Consider Edward Said's argument that the 'West' defines the 'East.' How might this play out in the soundscapes of films? Are certain sounds used to mark Moroccan culture as exotic or 'other'? Language and Hybridity: Note the emphasis on language and hybrid identity. This is directly relevant to Morocco's multilingual sonic environment (Darija, Amazigh, French) and how filmmakers navigate this complexity.
These two pillars—phenomenology for the experience and postcolonialism for the politics—provide a powerful starting point. But how do we synthesize them into a framework specifically for analyzing sound in Moroccan cinema?
2. Weaving the Strands: Applied Frameworks for Moroccan Cinema
The next step is to move from these general theories to specific, applied frameworks that have been used by scholars in your field. This is how you ground your project in existing academic conversations. We will look at two exemplary approaches.
Framework 1: Vernacular Modernism and Sonic Expression
Peter Limbrick, in his work on Moroccan cinema, proposes the concept of "vernacular modernism." This framework is designed to understand how post-independence Moroccan filmmakers negotiated the influence of international artistic movements (modernism) with local traditions, languages, and histories (the vernacular).
Crucially, Limbrick shows how sound became a key site for this negotiation. The following reading will demonstrate how this framework can be used to perform a sophisticated analysis of film sound.
Vernacular Modernism, Film Culture, and Moroccan Short Film and ...
In this essay, Peter Limbrick analyzes the experimental short films of 1960s and 1970s Morocco. He argues that their innovative use of sound was central to their 'vernacular modernist' project.
Please read the following key passages. I want you to focus not on memorizing film titles, but on seeing how sound is analyzed within this framework. Start with the analysis of Mohamed Afifi's Retour à Agadir (begins 'Afifi’s film...'). Note the analysis of the 'nondiegetic bebop jazz soundtrack' and the 'impossibly lively soundtrack' juxtaposed with images of ruin. This is a perfect example of sound creating a complex, non-literal meaning. Read the analysis of Moumen Smihi's Si Moh, pas de chance (begins 'Here the soundtrack is also critical...'). Observe the description of 'juxtaposition and aural dissonance to interpret and comment on the action.' Read the analysis of Ahmed Bouanani's 6 et 12 (begins 'Without dialogue, narration...'). See how the jazz soundtrack (Coltrane, Shepp) is analyzed as placing the film in dialogue with an international avant-garde. Crucially, read the section on Mémoire 14 (begins 'Technically, I invented nothing...'). Bouanani's own words are incredibly powerful: 'As for the soundtrack, it permitted me to express what I couldn’t show directly in the text.' This explicitly frames sound as a tool for political and historical commentary. Finally, look at the analysis of Smihi's essay (begins 'Le cercle flamboyant...'). Note how he conceptually separates 'Images' from 'Son/Commentaires,' building a theoretical model that inherently values sound as a distinct channel of meaning. This reading demonstrates a framework where sound is not decorative, but a primary vehicle for expressing the complex relationship between the local (Moroccan history) and the global (modernism, jazz), and for articulating a critique of postcolonial modernity.
Limbrick's 'vernacular modernism' provides a historically-grounded framework for analyzing sound as a form of cultural and political expression. It expertly combines close listening with postcolonial cultural history.
Framework 2: Sonic Pluralism
Our second example is a framework developed specifically for the sonic context of Morocco by sound artist and researcher Gilles Aubry. He calls it "sonic pluralism." This is a cutting-edge approach that seeks to decenter Western assumptions about sound by attending to local Moroccan ways of hearing and knowing.
Aubry’s framework is a sophisticated synthesis of sound studies, postcolonial theory, phenomenology, and ethnography. It is arguably the most tailored and relevant theoretical model for your specific research interests.
Dimensions of Sonic Pluralism | norient.com
This article introduces Gilles Aubry's book 'Sawt, Bodies, Species' and his core concept of 'sonic pluralism.' This is a dense but extremely rewarding text that speaks directly to your PhD project.
This is a rich text, so let's break it down. Read the introduction and the sections titled 'Sonic Pluralism.' Focus on these key ideas: Critique of Western Sound Studies: Aubry argues that fields like sound studies and acoustic ecology are often Eurocentric. He introduces the Arabic word sawt (voice, sound, song) to point to a Moroccan understanding of sound that is inseparable from the body and other senses. Defining Sonic Pluralism: He defines it as a form of 'aural syncretism'—an amalgamation of different epistemologies of sound. It refers both to the mixed nature of the postcolonial soundscape and to people's ability to find new meanings in it. Integrating Theories: Note how he explicitly connects his framework to Walter Mignolo’s 'border epistemology' (a key postcolonial concept) and Judith Butler's 'performativity.' He also emphasizes embodiment and experience, linking back to phenomenology. Four Dimensions: Skim the final sections to see how he breaks his framework into four dimensions: aural mediation (technology), self-governance (embodiment), aural co-domestication (ecology), and aesthetics (artistic practice). This shows how a complex framework can be organized analytically.
Aubry's 'sonic pluralism' offers a powerful, decolonial framework that is both theoretically sophisticated and deeply rooted in the Moroccan context. It provides a ready-made model for integrating your interests in perception, cultural identity, and even production, all while critically engaging with the limitations of Western theory.
3. Justifying Your Theoretical Framework
You have now explored the building blocks (phenomenology, postcolonialism) and two advanced, synthesized models (vernacular modernism, sonic pluralism). For your PhD proposal, you must not only select a framework but also justify it.
Your justification is an argument that answers the question: Why is this framework the most suitable lens through which to answer my specific research question?
Your options are:
- Adopt an existing framework: You could argue that 'sonic pluralism' is the ideal framework for your project and explain why.
- Adapt an existing framework: You could take Limbrick's 'vernacular modernism' and argue for adapting it more explicitly to contemporary films or a different set of sonic practices.
- Construct a hybrid framework: You could build your own framework, explicitly stating that you are combining, for instance, Sobchack's phenomenology of perception with Limbrick's historical analysis of sound and Aubry's concept of 'sawt' to create a unique model tailored to your corpus.
The justification in your proposal might look something like this (this is just an illustrative template):
"This dissertation will employ a theoretical framework of sonic pluralism, as articulated by Gilles Aubry (2023), to analyze the soundscapes of contemporary Moroccan cinema. This framework is uniquely suited to this project for three reasons. First, its foundation in postcolonial 'border epistemology' provides the critical tools to analyze how Moroccan filmmakers use sound to negotiate with and resist neocolonial sonic regimes. Second, by foregrounding the local concept of 'sawt', it moves beyond Eurocentric models of sound and allows for an analysis grounded in Moroccan cultural specificity. Finally, its emphasis on embodiment and the 'experiential nexus' connects the political analysis of sound to a phenomenological account of perception and immersion, enabling a holistic interpretation that answers my central research question: [Your Research Question Here]."
This statement clearly names the framework, explains its components, and links it directly to the goals of the research.
Conclusion
Today we have moved from the "what" of your research (the question) to the "how" (the theoretical framework). You have seen that a powerful framework is a deliberate synthesis of ideas that provides a clear, defensible, and insightful approach to your topic.
Key Takeaways:
- A theoretical framework is the intellectual architecture of your PhD, justifying your analytical approach.
- For your project, a synthesis of phenomenology (for perception/immersion) and postcolonial theory (for cultural identity/power) is a logical starting point.
- Applied frameworks like 'vernacular modernism' (Limbrick) and 'sonic pluralism' (Aubry) offer sophisticated models for analyzing sound within the specific context of Moroccan cinema.
- Justifying your framework involves making a clear argument for why your chosen theoretical lens is the most appropriate tool to answer your research question.
Preview of the Next Lesson
With a research question and a theoretical framework in place, the next logical step is to define the object of your study. In our next lesson, we will propose and justify a primary corpus of Moroccan films for the study. Your choice of framework will heavily influence which films will be most fruitful to analyze, and vice versa, creating a vital synergy at the heart of your project.