Plus ça Change? Observing the Dynamics of Morocco's ‘Arab Spring’ in the High Atlas

Abstract

This contribution focuses on the 'Arab Spring' in Morocco and on the interactions between the mainly urban-based activists that made up the 20 February Movement (F20M), and the population in rural areas. Based on six weeks of fieldwork between November 2013 and March 2014, mostly in the areas in and near Marrakech, we find that while the urban F20M events stimulated and inspired protests in rural areas, in practice there were only sporadic contacts based on the activists' personal feelings of belonging rather than their organizational membership. This is mainly due to discursive disconnects between the centre and periphery. As for the outcomes, in particular the new constitution, many respondents believe that nothing has changed so far.

Territorial Stress in Morocco: From Democratic to Autonomist Demands in Popular Protests in the Rif

“…Political contention in the Rif has presented its own particularities in terms of space, time, substance, strategies and actors. In contrast to what occurred in other parts of Morocco, such as the High Atlas (see Bergh & Rossi-Doria, 2015), urban and rural populations have participated in popular demonstrations in the Rif, being even stronger and more radical in the rural and interior areas. In these parts of the region different strategies from those used in the cities were adopted, such as violent actions against representative spaces of central authority and security forces, economic boycott and symbolic challenges to the state's unity.…”

“…The mobilizing structures developed in the same period are also examined. This analysis proffers the context for the second section, which centres on the evolution of protests in the Rif during and after the Arab Spring, exploring the question why the actors involved adopted different behaviour in comparison with other parts of the country, such as the High Atlas, where hardly any mobilization took place (see Bergh & Rossi-Doria, 2015). Finally, the third section analyses the outcomes of protests, arguing that these have largely resulted in new forms of political participation, the politicization of local youth and the fostering of the regional identity.…”

‘Le Printemps Démocratique’: Amazigh Activism in the February 20 Movement in Southern Morocco

“…769-770) According to some of my respondents 1 , in order to maintain control over rural peripheries, King Hassan II deliberately marginalized rural areas by disconnecting them from urban political activity all the way up to the 1960s. This 'divide and rule' strategy relied on the cooperation of local notables, major landowners and local elites (Leveau 1985), as well as the King's local representatives, security forces and state-appointed officials overseeing rural areas (Leveau 1985, Bergh and Rossi-Doria 2015.…”

“…This article is based on qualitative fieldwork conducted between November 2013 and March 2014 as part of a wider research project on the relationship between centre and peripheries during the F20M (see Bergh and Rossi-Doria 2015). The material used here is based on semi-structured interviews with 26 respondents representing 17 organizations, both in urban areas, Marrakesh and Rabat, and in the rural areas of the Zat Valley, located in the High Atlas (Al Houz province), where the majority of the Amazigh population resides.…”

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“…Moreover, the demonstrations were supported by various sections of the population, such as political activists, young people, journalists, students, militant and associative circles, who started to express a sever aversion and dissatisfaction towards the political power (Bennafla, Seniguer 2011). Few years later, on the heels of the wave of protest movements across the Arab World, on February 20, 2011, tens of thousands of Moroccans took to the streets both in urban contexts and rural ar- (Bergh, Rossi-Doria 2015). The 20FM emerged as a decentralized and cross-class protest movement that, since the very beginning, gathered a variety of independent activists and a number of different political organisations.…”