A Globalizing Maroc

It has been argued that the ‘national identity’ is perhaps the biggest and most successful myth perpetrated on humankind during the modern era. Morocco might be a good example of this.

Originally home to nomadic Berber tribes, Arab influences were introduced to the area early, and Carthage established not long thereafter. And though the French had a major role as the main colonizing power of Morocco, one doesn’t have to look far to see the influences of other European states. In the north, where only a small stretch of water separates Morocco and Spain, Spanish sway is evident. Or, a tour around the port town of Essaouira will make apparent the power the Portuguese once had in the area. And with it’s role as one of the most important slave ports on the North African coast, the influence of Sub-Saharan slaves who never made it farther than Morocco is obvious in the Gnaoua tribe that still inhabits the area.

“Every grand civilization is a metissage,” once said Leopold Sedar Senghor (at least according to the Routard), and perhaps this is because, as Salman Rushdie said in defense of his controversial Satanic Verses, “ mélange, hotchpotch [by which we assume he means hodgepodge?!], a bit of this and a bit of that is how newness enters the word.”

And so what does it mean to be Moroccan? Does one identify with Berber roots (of which one might have none)? Does one look to Islam which has organized the society? And if we go that far, must we then look to the French who have left an indelible impression on the politics, economy, and culture of the country? The answer is, probably a little bit of all of these, depending on the time, place, and person. And this is exactly why the myth of that nation-state is so powerful—no matter one’s personal leanings, one is above all else Moroccan. Dwell on that thought a while with regards to your personal context (what does it mean to be an American [especially], or a Chinese, or a Mexican, or a Pilipino, or ad infinidum anyway?).

And while you do, let me continue with two other questions with regards to the Moroccan case: a) is this Marocaine metissage of the past any different from what we experience today as globalization? and b) how is globalization experienced in Morocco today?

With regards to the first question, I can only start with the same argument that most proponents of a globalization thesis start with: the idea of intensification. Indeed Anthony Giddens, one of the pioneering globalization theorists defines globalization “as the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa.”

And so, it can be argued that in previous periods, Morocco was maybe subordinated to a colonial ruler, but that this hardly constitutes the close relations all around the world that apparently exist today. Colonial imperialism ≠ globalization—it is too simple a relationship. Also, to what extent did farmers in Bordeaux know and/or care about a nomadic Berber tribe at the height of French colonial rule in Morocco? Perhaps more so than vice versa, but still probably only a negligible amount.

Is this any different from the modern era? Questionable, though several scenarios can be imagined where the two disparate groups might have a large impact on one another. For example, it is much more likely today that a member of the Berber tribe might have immigrated (legally or otherwise) to France, maybe to Bordeaux even. The French farmer then would be confronted directly with this ‘other,’ who might keep in touch with relatives in Morocco via telephone (Skype?), or some other mediated form of nearly instantaneous interaction. Or a more likely scenario might be the French farmer who now has the easy ability to jump a cheap flight to Morocco to go meet (and buy a rug from?) said nomadic Berber tribe.

Framed in this way, it’s a question of intensification. But while a tourist to Morocco is more likely to be from France, or at least Francophone, s/he might just as easily be Spanish, British, Canadian, Australian, Italian, American, Japanese, German, etc. Here it is the diverse global influences, the world system, that is emphasized.

Returning to the Portu-Franco-Arab-Moroccan slave port of Essaouira then, was that not a player in a global system? Anyone with basic high school history can draw the golden triangle of the slave trade between Africa, the New World, and established European powers. Perhaps I’m being to Western-centric to call this a world system, for where is Asia in the slave game? But it’s certainly a very established, very international economic process, where actions in distant lands had very direct local consequences. How is globalization any different today? I’m a little at a loss.

And so I turn to the second question: how is globalization experienced for Moroccans today?

Again, I want to start in Essaouira, a UNESCO world heritage site, which might begin to give us an idea of how the town experiences the world today: as a tourist attraction.

For Amir (names have been changed to protect the innocent) a horse handler who comes from a small village about 3km from Essaouira, this means that beyond speaking Arabic and French (the two languages taught in school) he also must be semi-conversant in English and German. We chose to speak in French.

“Moi, je suis lycencé en informatique,” he explained during our short horse ride. “Me, I have a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology.” “Mais tu vois, je suis ici avec les chevaux,” he laments. “But you see, I’m here with the horses.” It’s the only way for him to make a living in a community which he estimates has an unemployment rate upwards of 40%. “I did create a website for my ranch. I’ll give you the address.”

As we ride through the scrub brush he points to an ancient stone bridge that had been washed away many years before during a flash flood. There are men taking laser measurements on top of the remains. “Are they rebuilding the bridge?” I ask.

“Oh, of course. You see all that scrub over there, that’s being cleared for a golf course. And the construction over there is a new resort. They need to rebuild the bridge so they have access to it.”

“It’s a shame that they’re destroying all that ‘forest,’” I reply.
“Yeah, but the one good thing I can say about it all is that it brings work for the locals.”

And so it appears that Morocco is moving to fill its global niche as a European vacation spot—France’s Mexico if you will. If we are to believe Amir, this is the only route to economic stability for the local populace, which is quite disheartening. But THAT’s globalization today.