“Democracy, Culture, and Social Change in North Africa’s the title of a new book published by Cambridge Scholars in the UK and edited by Moroccan researcher and author Moha Ennaji.
The book, which consists of 12 chapters, discusses issues related to the cultural, religious and political situation in post-Arab Spring North Africa. It promotes the culture of difference and diversity because, as Moha Ennaji puts it, “it is the values of tolerance and coexistence that promote the process of building a democratic society, not the values of negation, exclusion and extremism.”
The book seeks to highlight the positive impact of multilingualism on social and cultural development and to highlight the cultural diversity of North Africa, which has multicultural roots and common values such as community spirit, hospitality, the importance of family ties, and the search for balance between tradition and modernity.
As such, it argues that the recognition of Amazigh as an official national language in Algeria and Morocco is a recognition of linguistic and cultural pluralism, and that the promotion of Amazigh culture contributes to the consolidation of democracy, the establishment of the rule of law, and a barrier to all forms of exclusion.
In his chapter, George Joffé (Cambridge University) shows that the political context in North Africa nowadays is characterized by social disturbances that may gradually lead to the progress of the democratic culture and of the democratization process.
Meanwhile, Filippo Bignami of the University of Lugano in Switzerland debates the issue of citizenship and city in its relation to democracy. His main argument is that it is possible to build a democratic system starting from the city and the urban setting in general.
For his part, Moha Ennaji argues in his chapter that the Amazigh movement is dynamic and has not been enfeebled by the concessions granted by the governments in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. The chapter notably predicts that the Amazigh movement will continue rising and impacting the debate about identity, democracy, and human rights.
Lydia Guerchouh (University Mouloud Mammeri in Tizi-Ouzou) discusses the impact of socio-cultural representations conveyed by dialectal Arabic and French on the learning of the mother tongue, Kabyle, in an Amazighophone urban environment.
Abderrahman El Aissati of Tilburg University examines the impact of agency on the consolidation of cultural democracy. He is particularly interested in the fields of art and politics and how individuals and communities express themselves.
Bouthayna Ben Kridis (University of Carthage) discusses aspects of multiculturalism and democracy in post-revolutionary Tunisia. She emphasizes the need for legal, social, and cultural reforms to strengthen the democratization process, including the revitalization of the Amazigh cultural identity.
Driss Bouyahya (Moulay Ismail University) analyzes the evolution of both the Amazigh and Islamic movements in their quest for inclusion, reform and democracy. He discusses issues of identity, religion, and democracy as fundamental concepts in the Amazigh and Islamist movements.
Fatima Sadiqi (University of Fez) emphasizes the role of oral culture and women’s voices in the democratization and modernization of society. She argues that women have great potential for advancement through their cultural contributions, their economic and financial independence, and their participation in civil society and social change.
Aziza Ouguir (National Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics in Rabat) argues that Amazigh Sufi women have influenced their communities with their legacy throughout history. She explains that the achievements of Amazigh women saints today pave the way for women to achieve higher positions through cultural, democratic and political participation.
Hamid Bahri (City University of New York) focuses on the Amazigh perspective in the literary works of two Maghrebi writers: Kateb Yacine and Mohammed Khaïr-Eddine. While noting the peaceful coexistence of ethnic groups in North Africa, Bahri argues that more efforts should be made at the individual, collective, and educational levels to emphasize social cohesion.
Kwesi Prah (Centre for Advanced Studies of African Society in Cape Town) highlights the rich history of the Amazigh language and culture in Africa and how it can contribute to democracy and the protection of human rights. He argues that the use of indigenous languages and cultures is crucial for the development of democratic culture at the grassroots level.
In the final chapter of the book, Jan Jaap de Ruiter (Tilburg University) focuses on the ways in which populist parties in Western democracies, particularly in the Netherlands, attempt to contain Muslim fundamentalists from North Africa. He concludes that populist parties are not without social consequences and that, through them, anti-Islamic discourse has spread to conventional political parties and media in Europe.
