Reading of the Painful Past in a Non-democratic Setting: The Case of Morocco
Start Date
12-1-2012 1:30 PM
End Date
12-1-2012 3:00 PM
Description
Since the eighties, about thirty countries embarked in a historically unique experience of displaying in the public sphere the crimes committed by the states on civilian citizens. Such display was performed as an act of fact finding, truth revealing, apologies, reconciliation and equity. It was indicative not only of a new approach toward the national past but of original measures in the search for peaceful political transitions. Much has already been published on this subject particularly from the disciplines of anthropology, law and history. This paper is contribution to the analysis of the reading of the painful past from the perspective of two paradigms within the field of political science, namely political transition and legitimization. Although the starting arguments are founded on theoretical and comparative perspectives, the focus is on the specific case of Morocco. The latter offers a unique exercise in dealing with the painful past in an authoritarian setting that has not already embarked in a democratic transition as experienced in countries that, like Morocco, have created truth and reconciliation commissions. The examination of the Moroccan model requires an interpretation that assesses the identifiable causes which allowed for the recognition by the existing authoritarian state of its shameful past, rather than basing the analysis on the hypothetical projections and promises dominant in the transitology literature. Such approach provides a rewarding opportunity for the understanding of the internal working mechanisms of authoritarianism, its management of violence and its search for alternative legitimization strategies. It also allows for the assessment of the broader issues of the performances of human rights initiatives in non-democracies. The paper will also address the challenges and rewards of teaching these themes in cross-cultural settings.
Reading of the Painful Past in a Non-democratic Setting: The Case of Morocco
Since the eighties, about thirty countries embarked in a historically unique experience of displaying in the public sphere the crimes committed by the states on civilian citizens. Such display was performed as an act of fact finding, truth revealing, apologies, reconciliation and equity. It was indicative not only of a new approach toward the national past but of original measures in the search for peaceful political transitions. Much has already been published on this subject particularly from the disciplines of anthropology, law and history. This paper is contribution to the analysis of the reading of the painful past from the perspective of two paradigms within the field of political science, namely political transition and legitimization. Although the starting arguments are founded on theoretical and comparative perspectives, the focus is on the specific case of Morocco. The latter offers a unique exercise in dealing with the painful past in an authoritarian setting that has not already embarked in a democratic transition as experienced in countries that, like Morocco, have created truth and reconciliation commissions. The examination of the Moroccan model requires an interpretation that assesses the identifiable causes which allowed for the recognition by the existing authoritarian state of its shameful past, rather than basing the analysis on the hypothetical projections and promises dominant in the transitology literature. Such approach provides a rewarding opportunity for the understanding of the internal working mechanisms of authoritarianism, its management of violence and its search for alternative legitimization strategies. It also allows for the assessment of the broader issues of the performances of human rights initiatives in non-democracies. The paper will also address the challenges and rewards of teaching these themes in cross-cultural settings.