Civic apathy in the service of stability? Cultural politics in Monarchist Morocco

Datos Bibliográficos

ID4859705
AutoresDavid Mednicoff (University of Georgia, autor de correspondencia), David M Mednicoff
Año1998
Volumen3
Número4
Páginas1-27
Fecha de publicación1998-12-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaThe Journal of North African Studies (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1362-9387 • E-ISSN: 1743-9345
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13629389808718341
OpenAlexW2023435142
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas32

The Moroccan case suggests that accounts of political and social structures may be sufficient to explain the occurrence of non‐democratic regimes but that without linkage to the culture of politics such accounts cannot make sense of the long‐term stability of a specific regime, such as that of Hassan II. Employing historical and media analysis of two recent political events in Morocco (the 1975 Green March and the 1990 no‐confidence motion tabled by the opposition), this paper contends that the Hassan regime's manipulation and monopolisation of political culture succeeded in stabilising its rule by discouraging widespread popular demand for political inclusion and that centrally‐inspired popular apathy towards involvement in national politics plays a key role in under‐girding Morocco's throne. The historical continuity of Morocco's politics, the particular nature of Moroccan Islam, the highly developed nature of Moroccan national identity and the king's personal diplomatic skills may all be unique features of this culture that lessen the relevance of the Moroccan case to other Third World contexts. Nevertheless, this paper's central thesis ‐ that civic apathy towards political involvement may account for the apparently contradictory constellation of Moroccan centralised power, limited political pluralism and stability ‐ is possibly a portable hypothesis about authoritarian regime endurance

Authoritarianism · Democracy · Elite · Opposition (politics · Pluralism (philosophy · Political culture · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Throne · Law · Multiculturalism, Politics, Migration, Gender · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion, Society, and Development