Deserts, 'Saharanism' and the myth of green landscapes (with Brahim El Guabli)

 This month, the REPAiR Project’s ‘Rangeland Myths’ series explores the myth that ‘Healthy ecosystems are green’. Our programme includes an online discussion on 17 June 2026. In this episode, Linda Pappagallo explores aspects of this myth with Brahim El Guabli — an Amazigh scholar and associate professor of Arabic studies and comparative literature at Williams College. Brahim will be one of the speakers at our event. Brahim’s work moves fluidly across languages, timescales, disciplines, and geographies, bringing them into conversation in ways that challenge established assumptions and open new avenues for thought. His most recent book, Desert Imaginations: A History of Saharanism and its Radical Consequences, examines how many societies have come to imagine deserts through what he calls ‘Saharanism’: an ideological framework that portrays deserts as empty and available for exploitation. In doing so, Saharanism invites us to rethink not only deserts themselves, but also the cultural and political assumptions that shape our understanding of landscapes more broadly.LinksDesert Imaginations - book by Brahim El GuabliMyth: ‘Healthy ecosystems are green’ - think piece by Jeremy Allouche and Linda PappagalloExploring rangeland myths: Healthy ecosystems are green - online event on 17 June 2026Rangeland Myths This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit repairproject.substack.com