Morocco

Online Disclosure and Privacy Concerns: A Study of Moroccan and American Facebook Users

by Natasha Veltri

Veltri, N.F., Krasnova, H., Elgarah, W. (2011) “Online Disclosure and Privacy Concerns: A Study of Moroccan and American Facebook Users,” proceedings of the Americas Conference on Information Systems, Detroit, MI.

SLAVERY AT A CROSSROADS: STATE, RELIGION, RACE AND LAW IN MUSLIM WEST AFRICA

by Chris Gratien

DRAFT ONLY

This paper examines one of the earliest intellectual works to directly address the intersecting issues of race and... more This paper examines one of the earliest intellectual works to directly address the intersecting issues of race and slavery that emerged with the rise of a global capitalist economy based on slave labor and the plantation system that took root in the early modern Atlantic. I examine the works of a Muslim scholar, Ahmad Baba al-Tinbukti, who himself was enslaved, and I examine his use of scholarly traditions and innovative thoughts on the origins of race by Muslim scholars such as Ibn Khaldoun to author a resounding critique of not just race-based slavery but the entire practice of enslavement as he experienced it in the realms of the Moroccan caliphate of Ahmad al-Mansur.

"La démocratie renversée": Sur l'usage de la "bonne gouvernance" en Égypte et au Maroc: le cas des réformes de l'enseignement supérieur

by Florian Kohstall

published in Michel Camau and Gilles Massardier (ed.), Démocraties et autoritarismes: Fragmentation et hybridation des régimes, Karthala, 2009.

Une internationalisation concurrentielle: les reformes de l'enseignement supérieur en Égypte et au Maroc

by Florian Kohstall

Published in Sylvie Mazzella (dir.), La mondialisation étudiante: Le Maghreb entre Nord et Sud, Karthala, 2009

Morocco's Monarchical Legacy and its Capacity to Implement Social Reforms

by Florian Kohstall

in: Elisabeth Özdalga & Sune Persson (ed.), Contested Sovereignties: Government and Democracy in Middle Eastern and European Perspectives, IB Tauris, Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul, 2010, p. 197-208.

In this paper I question current views on the king’s supremacy in Morocco's policy process and the country as a model... more In this paper I question current views on the king’s supremacy in Morocco's policy process and the country as a model for reform. I show that social reforms in Morocco are subject to a complex process of agenda-setting and decision-making. The different steps in policy-making involve not only the king but also international organizations and various political parties. While the king still acts as an arbiter, he depends heavily on the support of party members and the pluralistic nature of Morocco’s political system to push through sensitive policy issues. In other words, Morocco’s ability to reform more efficiently than other countries in the Middle East and North African region (MENA) depends not on its monarchical legacy but on its pluralistic nature, a specific configuration that has been built up and remodelled since Independence in an authoritarian way.

Opposition within the State: Governance in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia

by Florian Kohstall

Co-authored with Amin Allal,

published in Holger Albrecht (ed.) Contentious Politics in the Middle East: Political Opposition under Authoritarianism, University Press of Florida, 2010

This chapter analyzes the role of opposition under authoritarian rule, with explicit attention to the international... more This chapter analyzes the role of opposition under authoritarian rule, with explicit attention to the international context. In the context of increasing pressure for reform and the diffusion of good governance as the accepted instrument for reform, opposition in a wider sense is not only a ghostwriter but also a tool for authoritarian governments to enhance international cooperation. Opposition may not explicitly support the state, but it can be considered as a part of the state when it participates in the development process. The emerging governance agenda of the international aid community constitutes a major challenge for the state in Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco, three authoritarian regimes that rely heavily on international support. While the quality of governance is still rated low for all three countries, the participatory approach is being applied increasingly in reform processes.

Free transfer, limited mobility: Ten years of higher education reform in Egypt and Morocco

by Florian Kohstall

forthcoming in REMMM, Nr. 131, 2012, S. 93-112.

In the article I show how countries with a relative low performance in higher education like Egypt and Morocco are... more In the article I show how countries with a relative low performance in higher education like Egypt and Morocco are informed and worked by the forces of internationalization in this domain. I compare the path of university reforms in both countries over the last decade; from their emergence on the agenda to their implementation. Through the lenses of a public policy approach the paper illustrates how higher education is subject to a complex negotiation process between international organizations and domestic policymakers. The transfer of international models like grant-based funding and the Bologna process has become the driving force of these reforms. But when imposed through a top-down approach these models do not necessarily bring about the outcome they promise. They rather illustrate an example of distorted internationalization.

FELIU, L. "Feminism, Gender Inequality and the Reform of the Mudawana in Morocco", The Scientific Journal of Humanistic Studies, Year 4, no. 6, March 2012, pp. 101-111.

by Laura Feliu i Martinez

During the last decades, Moroccan women have turned into important agents of change in front of a situation of... more During the last decades, Moroccan women have turned into important agents of change in front of a situation of discrimination and social injustice. The analysis of the struggle focused on the legislative reform of the Mudawana shows: First, the representatives of the Moroccan feminism choose to accept a series of traditional values and cultural identities as a legitimate frame of reference, specially the one referent to the Islamic frame. Second, the division between secular or Islamic feminism does not endure a rigid differentiation between an emancipatory program and a continuism in "tradition". Third, the question of the reform of the Mudawana has been highly politicized both by the State agents and by all kinds of political and social movements. And finally, the struggle for the emancipation of women cannot dissociate from the general struggle for democratization in politics and in the set of society.

Linstädter J., Eiwanger, J., Mikdad, A. & G.-Chr. Weniger (accepted) Human occupation of Northwest Africa: A review of Middle Palaeolithic to Epipalaeolithic sites in Morocco. Quaternary International. DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2012.02.017

by Jörg Linstädter

This paper provides a summary of all available numerical ages from contexts of the Moroccan Middle Palaeolithic to... more This paper provides a summary of all available numerical ages from contexts of the Moroccan Middle Palaeolithic to Epipalaeolithic and reviews some of the most important sites. Particular attention is paid to the so-called “Aterian”, albeit those so-labeled assemblages fail to show any geographical and chronological pattern. For this reason, this phenomenon should not be considered a distinct culture or techno-complex and is referred to hereinafter as Middle Palaeolithic of Aterian type. Whereas anatomical modern humans (AMH) are present in Northwest Africa from about 160 ka onwards, according to current research some Middle Palaeolithic inventories are more than 200 ka. This confirms that, for this period it is impossible to link human forms with artifact material. Perforated shell beads with traces of ochre documented from 80 ka onwards certainly suggest changes in human behavior.

The transition from Middle to Upper Palaeolithic, here termed Early Upper Palaeolithic – at between 30 and 20 ka – remains the most enigmatic era. However, the still scarce data from this period requires careful and fundamental revision in the frame of any future research. By integrating environmental data in reconstruction of population dynamics, clear correlations become obvious. High resolution data are lacking before 20 ka, and at some sites this period is characterized by the occurrence of sterile layers between Middle Palaeolithic deposits, possibly indicative of shifts in human population. After Heinrich Event 1, there is an enormous increase of data due to the prominent Late Iberomaurusian deposits that contrast strongly from the foregoing accumulations in terms of sedimentological features, fauna and artifact composition. The Younger Dryas shows a remarkable decline of data marking the end of the Palaeolithic. Environmental improvements in the Holocene are associated with an extensive Epipalaeolithic occupation.

Roeloffs_etal_2011_Karstic Caves Morocco

by Jörg Linstädter

Caves and rock shelters are important archives for archaeological research. Prehistoric men not onlysheltered in caves... more Caves and rock shelters are important archives for archaeological research. Prehistoric men not onlysheltered in caves but also set up camps in open-air locations. Over the last 15 years a joint researchgroup, comprising INSAP (Institut National des Sciences de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine du Maroc),KAAK (Kommission für Archäologie Außereuropäischer Kulturen, German Archaeology Institute) andthe University of Cologne, has been carrying out surveys and excavations in the area of the Eastern Rif (NE-Morocco). Huge parts of the vast working area are poorly accessible and it is now realised that thewhole area can only be covered using a remote sensing approach.The aim of this project is to integratehigh resolution topographical, visual and geological data in order to develop models so that site loca-tions can be predicted. Information from remote sensing (satellite image) and Geographic InformationSystem (GIS) is used to identify an area in which carstic caves can occur and caves featuring archaeo-logical remains may be located. The intersection of geological and topographical maps with QuickBirdsatellite imagery can then be used to quantify different features of identied caves. Based on the par-tially existing fans of sediment in front of the carstic caves, potential locations of caves in the denedarea could be discovered.
Keywords:
NE-Morocco, prehistoric occupation, remote sensing, GIS, carstic caves, limestone, predic-tive models for site location, sediment fan

Hutterer_etal_2011_BAPA_land snails

by Jörg Linstädter

Linstädter_2011_Epi-Neo-Transition_Faro Conference 2009

by Jörg Linstädter

Ibouhouten_etal_2009_Geoarchaeology_Moulouya

by Jörg Linstädter

L’étude géoarchéologique des dépôts fluviatiles de la Basse Moulouya en vue de la reconstitution... more L’étude géoarchéologique des dépôts fluviatiles de la Basse Moulouya en vue de la reconstitution despaléoenvironnements de l'Homme préhistorique durant l’Holocène est effectuée sur un profil de 15 mètres dehauteur de la rive gauche de la rivière Moulouya de la région de Sidi Er’hama. Le lit majeur, dans cette région,est encaissé dans une seule terrasse fluviale holocène, et rarement dans une deuxième terrasse historique.Le faciès de la plaine d’inondation est à dominance limono-argileuse à litage subhorizontal, rythmés parl’alternance régulière de lamines centimétriques de différentes couleurs. Les dépôts sont constitués d’une série deplusieurs séquences de crue, épaisses de 2 à 25 cm.L’intercalation des paléosols dans les alluvions traduit des périodes d’arrêt assez prolongées de sédimentation. Laprésence aussi de plusieurs bandes noires riches en charbon de bois traduisent des incendies locales ou sur lebassin versant.Certains niveaux, riches en structures de combustion renfermant du matériel archéologique (céramique, silex,etc.) et parfois faunique témoignent de l’occupation par l’Homme des sols de la région étudiée.
Mots clés
: Géoarchéologie, Basse Moulouya, Holocène, Paléoenvironnement, Terrasse fluviale, plaine d’inondation.

Linstädter_2010_Morocco_Coastal_Caves_Spf51

by Jörg Linstädter

Ifri Oudadane et Ifri Armas sont deux sites en grotte localisés sur lelittoral méditerranéen du Maroc, à 40 km à... more Ifri Oudadane et Ifri Armas sont deux sites en grotte localisés sur lelittoral méditerranéen du Maroc, à 40 km à l’ouest de Melilla et Nador. La découverte de ces sites est liée aux travaux d’aménagement de routesdans le cadre d’un projet de désenclavement initié par le gouvernement marocain. Ces sites ont été en partie fouillés entre 2006 et 2007 et l’étuden’en est qu’à ses débuts. Malgré le caractère préliminaire des données,leur intérêt est d’ores et déjà évident. Le matériel céramique, qui est trèsriche, en particulier à Ifri Oudadane, montre une très large variété dedécoration imprimée typique du Néolithique ancien. Les animaux domes-tiques, bœuf, mouton, chèvre et également chien, sont présents dans la partie néolithique de la stratigraphie. Les dates radiocarbone se situent dans la première moitié du VI
e
millénaire av. J.-C. et témoignent de l’im- plantation précoce de communautés du Néolithique ancien dans cetterégion. Les modèles expliquant la néolithisation du Nord-Ouest del’Afrique via Tanger doivent être reconsidérés. Des contacts directs entrel’Est marocain et l’Andalousie sont très probables. Mais, dans la mesureoù nous ne connaissons que très peu de choses sur ce Néolithique ancientranscontinental, ces régions devraient être au centre des futures re-cherches

Linstädter_2008_Epi-Neo-Transition_Promotoria8

by Jörg Linstädter

Linstädter_2008_Quartär55

by Jörg Linstädter

Linstädter_2003_Hassi Ouenzga_Archäologisches Nachrichtenblatt

by Jörg Linstädter

Linstädter_2003_Hassi Ouenzga_AVA Beiträge

by Jörg Linstädter

Mikdad_etal2000_Rif Oriental_AVA Beiträge

by Jörg Linstädter

A Two-Level Game: Spain and the Promotion of Democracy and Human Rights in Morocco. Mediterranean Politics. 8, pp. 90 - 111. 01/01/2003

by Laura Feliu i Martinez

During recent decades, and particularly since the 1970s, a number of states have incorporated the promotion of human... more During recent decades, and particularly since the 1970s, a number of states have incorporated the promotion of human rights and democracy into their foreign policy goals. This integration goes beyond mere
discourse and has been reflected in a series of institutions and mechanisms and in certain practices [Forsythe, 2000; Vincent, 1989]. Spain is no exception to this evolution. Its entry into the European Community in 1986 was decisive in developing this field of action. But although human
rights have been incorporated into the foreign agenda, we can hardly speak of a true ‘policy’ that has been planned in a comprehensive manner, nor can we claim that it embraces all of the spheres of foreign action.
True, progress has been made in the (weak) institutionalization of this field of policy, actions are being carried out as a result of international obligations in multilateral forums and certain isolated initiatives of promotion can be detected: a ‘selective indignation’ decided on a case-bycase basis. But in general, all of this falls far short of making human rights an axis of foreign policy. Here, the expression ‘human rights foreign policy’ will be used for convenience to refer to the set of considerations and actions by the state in this field, or to ‘a choice among priorities’. As Baehr says: ‘It means that a government will have to decide whether and when it will give a higher priority to human rights over other foreign policy considerations, such as national security, foreign trade and development cooperation. Such policy considerations may conflict with each other’ [Baehr, 1996: 23].