جامعة محمد الخامس
Born in Rabat, Bennani studied at Mohammed V University in Rabat. After an undergraduate degree in Spanish language and literature, she gained a PhD with a dissertation on Pedro Antonio de Alarcón. She also gained a doctorate from Paris X Nanterre with a thesis on Carlos Fuentes. She was head of the Department of Hispanic Studies at Mohammed V University from 1974 to 1988. In 1988 she became Dean of the Faculty of Letters at Hassan II Mohammedia University in Mohammédia.