Fourteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

This study investigates the changing face, actors, and forms of civil resistance in relation to the state namely after the unprecedented 2011 constitutional reforms. It focuses on the nature and forms of civil resistance after 2011 constitutional reforms and the extent of their impact on political change in Morocco. The paper starts from the assumption that though the 2011 constitutional reforms in Morocco have been revolutionary in terms of content, they have not pushed for clear democratic paths, but they have, instead, resulted in the emergence of new forms of subaltern resistance and activism that are radical and extreme in their forms and legal in their dimension and messages. To do this, we look at the development and dynamics of civil resistance forms in Morocco since the pre-protectorate era. Specifically, we compare forms of resistance in Morocco before and after the latest constitutional reforms. This comparative approach looks at the key differences and changes between the two eras with a special focus on the changes and development that happened after 2011. We do this based on the findings of our previous research on civil society activism in Morocco (2006-2012) and on following the new forms of civil resistance in the post Moroccan spring movement on the terrain and through media. Our focus is mainly on the emergence of new subaltern forms of resistance and the changing modes of action to demand specific rights in the post Moroccan spring movement.