3 - Protest Movements and Social Media: Morocco’s February 20 Movement
Corresponding Author(s) : Abdelaziz Radi
Africa Development,
Vol. 42 No. 2 (2017): Africa Development: Special Issue on Study on Oblique Identity Dynamics
Abstract
Historically, Morocco experienced large-scale political repression during the 1970s through the early 1990s. Through its actions, the regime repressed any claims aimed at challenging its authoritarian configuration of public space. Ironically, with the emergence of the ‘February 20’ movement, those claims were brought back again on to the political agenda. Born in the context of the Arab Spring, February 20 acquired legitimacy both nationally and regionally. Its use of civic and political forms of expression in order to conquer the social arena reflects not only a certain inefficiency of traditional representative bodies (political parties, official media and parliament) but also a relative emergency to convey their message. The leading technological means of communication used by the movement are Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and blogs. The young used these tools not only to promote the movement per se, but also to facilitate its operational organization by informing policy makers, activists and even supporters of the movement nation-wide. This article tries to assess the extent to which the social media platforms utilized by the February 20 movement were a political game changer for a generation eager for freedom and change after decades of oppression in Morocco.
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- Ahmed, A. and Capoccia, G., 2014, ‘The Study of Democratization and the Arab Spring, Middle East Law and Governance 6, Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, p. 1–31.
- Allen, S., 1968, ‘Some Theoretical Problems in the Study of Youth’, Sociological Review 16 (3): 319–31.
- El Aoufi, N. and Bensaïd, M., 2005, Chômage et employabilité des jeunes au Maroc, Geneva: BIT.
- Arieff, A., 2011, Morocco: Current Issues, Congressional Research Service, 20 December, pp. 1–26, http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RS21579.pdf.
- El Ayadi, M., 2005, « La note de travail », in El Ayadi, M., Bourquia, R. and Darif, M., Etat, monarchie et religion, Collection ‘Les cahiers bleus’, No. 3, Février, p. 10–30.
- Blühdorn, I., 2007, ‘Social Movement Studies’, Journal of Social, Cultural and Political Protest 6, May, (1): 1–20, University of Bath.
- Boukous, A., 2005, ‘Dynamique d’une situation linguistique : Le marché linguistique au Maroc’, www.rdh50.ma/fr/pdf/contributions/GT9-5.pdf.
- Boum, A., 2008, ‘The Political Coherence of Educational Incoherence: The Consequences of Educational Specialization in a Southern Moroccan Community’, Anthropology and Education Journal Quarterly 39 (2):205–23.
- Clément, W. J., 1975, ‘Le Commandeur des croyants. La monarchie marocaine et son élite’, Revue française de sociologie 16 (2):257–64.
- Cohen, S. and Jaidi, L., 2006, Morocco: Globalization and its Consequences, New York NY and Abingdon: Taylor and Francis.
- Daadaoui, M., 2011, Moroccan Monarchy and the Islamist Challenge: Maintaining Makhzen Power, New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Diamond, L., 2002, ‘Elections without Democracy. Thinking About Hybrid Regimes’, Journal of Democracy 13 (2): 21–35.
- Fillieule, Olivier, ed., 1993, Sociologie de la protestation : les formes de l’action collective dans la France contemporaine, Paris: L’Harmattan.
- Ghonim, W., 2012, La Révolution 2.0, Steinkis.
- Gurr, T. R., 1970, Why Men Rebel, Princeton PA: Princeton University Press.
- Hammoudi, I., 2012, ‘Le mouvement du 20 Février: identité, évolution et perspectives’, Revue Marocaine des Sciences Politiques et Sociales 4, Hors série, March, pp. 185–219.
- Heydemann, S., 2007, ‘Upgrading Authoritarianism in the Arab World’, Analysis Paper, No. 13, The Saban Center at the Brookings Institution, Washington, October, http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2007/10/ arabworld/10arabworld.pdf.
- Heydemann, S., 2013, ‘Tracking the Arab Spring’, Journal of Democracy 24 (4): 59–73.
- Hibou, B., 2011, ‘Le mouvement du 20 février, le Makhzen et l’antipolitique.L’impensé des réformes au Maroc’, CERI, Sciences-Po.
- Layachi, Azzedine, 1998, State, Society and Democracy in Morocco. The Limits of Associative Life, Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University.
- Leveau, R., 1985, Le fellah marocain, défenseur du trône, Presses de la Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques, Collection Références.
- Levitsky, S. and Lucan, A.W., 2002, ‘Elections without Democracy: The Rise of Competitive Authoritarianism’, Journal of Democracy 13 (2): 51–65.
- Mamfakinch.com, 2011, ‘Communiqué Mamfakinch/Mamsawtinch: Appel aux Militant(e)s du 20 Février’, 29 June.
- National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, 2007, Final Report on the Moroccan Legislative Elections, 7 September.
- National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), Voter Apathy in the September 2007
- Moroccan Elections, Qualitative study produced for the NDI from November to December 2007, February 2008.
- Ottaway, M. and Hamzawy, A., 2011, ‘Protest Movements and Political Change in the Arab World’, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 28 January.
- Sadiki, L., 1993, ‘Progress and Retrogression of Arab Democratization’, Journal of Arabic, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies 1 (1): 80–103.
- Stiglitz, J. E., 2002, Globalization and Its Discontents, New York NY: W.W. Norton.
- Storm, Lise, 2007, Democratization in Morocco. The Political Elite and Struggles for Power in the Post-Independence State, New York NY: Routledge.de Tocqueville, Alexis, 1981, L’ancien régime et la révolution, Tome 2, in Œuvres complètes, Paris: Gallimard.
- Touraine, A., 1997, Pourrons-nous vivre ensemble ? Égaux et différents, Paris: Fayard.
- Waterbury, J., 1975, Le Commandeur des croyants. La monarchie marocaine et son élite, Paris: PUF.
References
Ahmed, A. and Capoccia, G., 2014, ‘The Study of Democratization and the Arab Spring, Middle East Law and Governance 6, Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, p. 1–31.
Allen, S., 1968, ‘Some Theoretical Problems in the Study of Youth’, Sociological Review 16 (3): 319–31.
El Aoufi, N. and Bensaïd, M., 2005, Chômage et employabilité des jeunes au Maroc, Geneva: BIT.
Arieff, A., 2011, Morocco: Current Issues, Congressional Research Service, 20 December, pp. 1–26, http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RS21579.pdf.
El Ayadi, M., 2005, « La note de travail », in El Ayadi, M., Bourquia, R. and Darif, M., Etat, monarchie et religion, Collection ‘Les cahiers bleus’, No. 3, Février, p. 10–30.
Blühdorn, I., 2007, ‘Social Movement Studies’, Journal of Social, Cultural and Political Protest 6, May, (1): 1–20, University of Bath.
Boukous, A., 2005, ‘Dynamique d’une situation linguistique : Le marché linguistique au Maroc’, www.rdh50.ma/fr/pdf/contributions/GT9-5.pdf.
Boum, A., 2008, ‘The Political Coherence of Educational Incoherence: The Consequences of Educational Specialization in a Southern Moroccan Community’, Anthropology and Education Journal Quarterly 39 (2):205–23.
Clément, W. J., 1975, ‘Le Commandeur des croyants. La monarchie marocaine et son élite’, Revue française de sociologie 16 (2):257–64.
Cohen, S. and Jaidi, L., 2006, Morocco: Globalization and its Consequences, New York NY and Abingdon: Taylor and Francis.
Daadaoui, M., 2011, Moroccan Monarchy and the Islamist Challenge: Maintaining Makhzen Power, New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Diamond, L., 2002, ‘Elections without Democracy. Thinking About Hybrid Regimes’, Journal of Democracy 13 (2): 21–35.
Fillieule, Olivier, ed., 1993, Sociologie de la protestation : les formes de l’action collective dans la France contemporaine, Paris: L’Harmattan.
Ghonim, W., 2012, La Révolution 2.0, Steinkis.
Gurr, T. R., 1970, Why Men Rebel, Princeton PA: Princeton University Press.
Hammoudi, I., 2012, ‘Le mouvement du 20 Février: identité, évolution et perspectives’, Revue Marocaine des Sciences Politiques et Sociales 4, Hors série, March, pp. 185–219.
Heydemann, S., 2007, ‘Upgrading Authoritarianism in the Arab World’, Analysis Paper, No. 13, The Saban Center at the Brookings Institution, Washington, October, http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2007/10/ arabworld/10arabworld.pdf.
Heydemann, S., 2013, ‘Tracking the Arab Spring’, Journal of Democracy 24 (4): 59–73.
Hibou, B., 2011, ‘Le mouvement du 20 février, le Makhzen et l’antipolitique.L’impensé des réformes au Maroc’, CERI, Sciences-Po.
Layachi, Azzedine, 1998, State, Society and Democracy in Morocco. The Limits of Associative Life, Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University.
Leveau, R., 1985, Le fellah marocain, défenseur du trône, Presses de la Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques, Collection Références.
Levitsky, S. and Lucan, A.W., 2002, ‘Elections without Democracy: The Rise of Competitive Authoritarianism’, Journal of Democracy 13 (2): 51–65.
Mamfakinch.com, 2011, ‘Communiqué Mamfakinch/Mamsawtinch: Appel aux Militant(e)s du 20 Février’, 29 June.
National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, 2007, Final Report on the Moroccan Legislative Elections, 7 September.
National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), Voter Apathy in the September 2007
Moroccan Elections, Qualitative study produced for the NDI from November to December 2007, February 2008.
Ottaway, M. and Hamzawy, A., 2011, ‘Protest Movements and Political Change in the Arab World’, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 28 January.
Sadiki, L., 1993, ‘Progress and Retrogression of Arab Democratization’, Journal of Arabic, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies 1 (1): 80–103.
Stiglitz, J. E., 2002, Globalization and Its Discontents, New York NY: W.W. Norton.
Storm, Lise, 2007, Democratization in Morocco. The Political Elite and Struggles for Power in the Post-Independence State, New York NY: Routledge.de Tocqueville, Alexis, 1981, L’ancien régime et la révolution, Tome 2, in Œuvres complètes, Paris: Gallimard.
Touraine, A., 1997, Pourrons-nous vivre ensemble ? Égaux et différents, Paris: Fayard.
Waterbury, J., 1975, Le Commandeur des croyants. La monarchie marocaine et son élite, Paris: PUF.