History From Below: The Moor’s Account as a Counter-Eurocentric Narrative

Abstract

Early accounts of colonial encounters have largely been dominated by narratives written by the victors, which oftentimes silenced and pushed other voices to the margins. And for centuries, the history of many a colonial exploration has been given account through a Eurocentric lens, henceforth undermining the Subaltern voice. Postcolonialism explores the binary colonizer-colonized relationship to disrupt the dominant colonial narratives. Within this framework, the present paper examines Laila Lalami’s The Moor’s Account as a postcolonial reimagining of history. By reclaiming the voice of Mustapha Ez-zemmouri, otherwise known as Estebánico, Lalami challenges the recurring Eurocentric framework in Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca’s La Relación and constructs a counter-narrative. This study is significant as it underscores the subjectivity of historical accounts and offers insights into how alternative Subaltern narratives act as a means for epistemic resistance, challenging colonial constructions of the past. It situates the novel within the theoretical frameworks of Postcolonialism, Subaltern Studies, Otherness, and The Third Space, emphasizing The Moor’s Account’s potential to inspire the genre of historical fiction to serve as a means of reclaiming the erased voices in popular narratives.

Keywords: Historical Fiction - Subaltern Studies – Otherness – Postcolonialism – Eurocentric - The Moor’s Account - La Relación.

DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/16-1-07

Publication date: March 28th 2026