After The Dust Has Settled: Exploring ‘Residue’ from the 2011 Arab Uprising in Morocco and How it has Shaped Youth Political Participation Over the Years Since

Abstract

Like much of the Arab World, Morocco was swept up in the wave of what became known as the Arab Uprisings back in 2011. Despite the ‘shock’ the event represented, where popular grassroots opposition mobilisation towards the regime had not been expected in scholarly, media, and governmental circles, little has perceptively changed. The kingdom remains autocratic, with the status quo dominated by the palace and its allies. However, does this necessarily mean the Uprising had little-to-no impact at all?

The purpose of this research is to reopen debate on the Arab Uprising in Morocco by examining the event and trying to chart long-term legacies it may have had on grassroot political practices over the decade since. Crucially, by examining the key movement involved, the 20th February Movement, collective actions, its experiences and responses by the regime, the research examines the ‘residue’ of such on newer modes of grassroots-level political participation. It examines this with a key demographic constituency involved: the youth. Young people, in Morocco and beyond, have over recent years proven to be a potent political force, as displayed in the Uprisings. This thesis therefore explores changes and developments in youth participation with both formal (including electoral, political party and petition participation) and informal modes (like protesting, associational involvement, and online activism) of political practices since 2011 to see how the Arab Uprisings have left a legacy on them.

Ultimately, this research seeks to explain how and the degree to which youth political participation has changed in Morocco in the years since 2011. Unpackaging such can enrich our knowledge of the event on longer-term impacts on how political practices at the grassroots level manifest. Further, it seeks to draw possibilities on what such findings could entail concerning the future trajectories of state-society relations.