Studying Mecca elsewhere: Exploring the meanings of the Hajj for Muslims in Morocco and the Netherlands

While the hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca is a once-in-a-lifetime religious obligation, only a small percentage of Muslims can actually perform it. Yet, the desire to visit Mecca and perform the hajj is a strong presence in Muslims’ individual and collectives’ lives. This paper discusses the different approaches of both authors to the study of the meanings of the hajj in the daily lives of Muslims in Morocco and those of Moroccan descent in the Netherlands. The chapter reflects on the merits and limitations of several axes involved in the dialogical production of knowledge on practices and meanings of the hajj, such as participant observation versus interviews, being a Muslim researcher versus a non-Muslim researcher, and studying Muslims in a Muslim-majority country where Islam is a self-evident presence versus Muslims in a post-migration European context dominated by Islam-hostile views.