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Swarthmore College

Publication Date

Spring 2024

Program Name

Morocco: Human Rights, Social Justice, and Cultural Transformation

Abstract

Diaspora consists of a group of people who reside in a location different from their imagined homeland. Despite the growing prevalence and prominence of diasporas around the world as contact between cultures becomes more frequent, there is relatively little consensus regarding the nature of diaspora communities and their identity construction. This paper uses the case study of the Amazigh diaspora to reveal some of the nuances and aspects that affect both the creation and spread of identity within diasporas. The Amazigh diaspora differs from other diasporas because it is a historically marginalized and oppressed group within their countries of origin, particularly in Morocco. I utilize both oral interviews and written sources in order to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the Amazigh diasporic identity both in its genesis and the present. In this paper I will demonstrate that in the case of a marginalized group, such as the Amazigh that endured significant repression throughout the 20th century, diaspora can play an essential role in preserving and cultivating cultural memory and identity.

Disciplines

African Studies | Inequality and Stratification | Migration Studies | Politics and Social Change | Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies

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