Abstract
This chapter examines the evolution of women’s political participation in Morocco and relates it to the dual or ambiguous nature of the political system where two narratives of the state seem to compete. On the one hand, there is the traditional political space inherited from pre-colonial times and on the other, the modern public sphere the proponents of which aspire to put the country on the world map of democratic nations. In addition to being ingrained in the power structure of the state, these two strands are also rooted in the collective imaginaire of Moroccans and speak an anthropological “in-betweenness” and a cultural ambivalence that commands and shapes the conceptualization of public space. In this perspective, women’s political participation, which essentially means women going out into the public space (where the private and the public often collide), is subject to a dual perception (traditional and modern) that makes progress slow and uncertain.
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Notes
- 1.
Even though the King of Morocco has always supported the empowerment of women, the fact that the previous constitution considered the person of the Monarch “sacred” and the fact that he appointed the ministers of the government made it hard for ordinary people to contest. This was a source of continuing tension between the Monarchy and the leftist opposition. After the Arab spring the Monarch yielded to people’s demands and the “sacred” character of his person was removed from the new constitution. This had the effect of freeing people’s tongues.
- 2.
Abdallah Hammoudi (1977). Master and Disciple: The Cultural Foundations of the Moroccan Authoritarianism. Chicago, Il. & London: The University of Chicago Press. 6–7. The master-disciple power relation is an organizational principle that is present in different forms from the top to the lowest levels of society and state systems.
- 3.
Earlier forms of public space are believed to have existed among the Amazigh (Berbers) tribes where it is said that even women were active participants.
- 4.
On a deeper level this may be the reflection of a sense of alienation felt by the population towards the “worldly state” as being the opposite of the “Caliphate” or “godly state.” For more on this see Abdallah Laroui, Islame et Modernité, 2nd edition. Beirut and Casablanca: Centre Culturel Arabe (2001). (Especially pages 31–36)
- 5.
The report was published in French in TelQuel: http://telquel.ma/2015/02/27/violences-analphabetisme-chomage-rapport-alarmant-marocaines_1436186
- 6.
“La femme marocaine en chiffres: tendances d’évolution des caractéristiques démographiques et socio-professionnelles” Le Haut Commissariat au Plan (HCP) Octobre (2014).
- 7.
“La femme marocaine en chiffres: tendances d’évolution des caractéristiques démographiques et socio-professionnelles” Le Haut Commissariat au Plan (HCP) Octobre (2014).
- 8.
Ministère de la Fonction Publique et de la Modernisation de l’Administration, “Etude sur la présence des femmes dans les postes de responsabilité.” 2014.
- 9.
See the Assembly of Representatives’ website: www.parlement.ma
- 10.
Administratively, Morocco was divided into 16 regions until October 2015 when a new territorial remapping reduced that number to 12. Each region is dually governed by a Wali directly appointed by the King and a President of the regional assembly directly elected by the people. There is still only one woman Wali, and after the October 2015 regional elections no woman was elected as president of any of the 12 regions.
- 11.
Etude sur la présence des femmes dans les postes de responsabilité, Ministère de la Fonction Publique et de la Modernisation de l’Administration, 2014.
References
Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc (ADFM). 2015. “Situation des femmes au Maroc 20 ans après Beijing. Etat des lieux et recommandations” Report by Moroccan NGOs on the application of the Beijing Platform 1995–2015. Rabat. Web. http://telquel.ma/2015/02/27/violences-analphabetisme-chomage-rapport-alarmant-marocaines_1436186.
Hammoudi, A. 1977. Master and Disciple: The Cultural Foundations of the Moroccan Authoritarianism. Chicago & London: The University of Chicago Press.
HCP. 2014. “La femme marocaine en chiffres: tendances d’évolution des caractéristiques démographiques et socio-professionnelles” Report of Le Haut Commissariat au Plan (HCP) Rabat, Morocco.
Laroui, A. 2001. Islame et Modernité, 2nd edition. Beirut and Casablanca: Centre Culturel Arabe.
Ministère de la Fonction Publique et de la Modernisation de l’Administration. 2014. Etude sur la présence des femmes dans les postes de responsabilité. Morocco: Rabat.
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Touaf, L. (2017). Tradition and Modernity or the Ambivalent Public Sphere: Women’s Political Participation in Morocco Before and After the Arab Spring. In: Touaf, L., Boutkhil, S., Nasri, C. (eds) North African Women after the Arab Spring. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49926-0_6
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