Gone are the days when language used to be seen as a mere medium to express feelings or describe reality. Rather it is only through language that we, humans, come to see the world and experience it. It is also through this very language that our identities are shaped. Identity; one of the most paradoxical and illusive terms, meaning at the same time the thing and its very opposite. Identity as individualism, but also and paradoxically as collectivism. One can talk about her or his own identity in separation from all other human beings, but also as his or her identity as being Moroccan, Amazigh, African, Arab, Muslim, Jewish, Female, Atheist etc. That is identity as an expression of ethnicity, gender, religious beliefs, nationality, etc. From this very simple trial to get a hold of the concept of identity, one starts to feel off the beaten track.
Table of Contents
1. Language and Identity
2. The Arabization-Process of the Suppression of the ‘Moroccan’ Identity
Objectives and Core Themes
This work examines the complex relationship between language, identity, and political power, specifically analyzing the Arabization process in Morocco as a postcolonial mechanism of cultural and linguistic suppression. The author investigates how the elevation of a specific language to official or standard status marginalizes indigenous linguistic varieties and shapes the collective identity of citizens.
- The sociopolitical construction of identity and language.
- Deconstructing the term 'Arab' and its relationship to language and ethnicity.
- The role of colonialism and neo-colonialism in linguistic policy.
- The impact of Arabization on Moroccan identity and local languages like Amazigh.
- Internalized inferiority and linguistic hegemony based on Gramscian and Fanonian perspectives.
Excerpt from the Work
The Arabization-Process of the Suppression of the ‘Moroccan’ Identity
The choice of any official language, indeed, can only mean the marginalization of others. And what is worse than when the official language is not the mother-tongue of literally anyone in the country? Relating this to Gramsci’s notions of Common Sense, Linguistic Hegemony and the intertwined link between the two. One would come closer to understand how so many people, Moroccans above all, Amazigh, Arabs, Jewish,… have been, and still are, supporting the process of Arabization, while in fact they have been supporting the suppression of, or at the least the trial to-suppress, their own languages, cultures and above-all identities. Frantz Fanon once said, talking about his experience as someone who was looked at as fair-skinned in his hometown only to be referred to in such words as “look! A negro!” on his arrival to Lyon, in France. This experience of being “sealed into that crushing object hood” (1967: 109) according to him is not the worst part. What is worst is that the people in these kind of situations come to internalize these views about themselves, seeing themselves as different, as ‘others’, as inferior. What does Frantz Fanon have to deal with language then? Well the same analogy can be used about how people who speak Moroccan as their first language, their mother-tongue! End up viewing this language as inferior to Standard Arabic, as being a mere dialect; which to me is a direct claim of inferiority. French, Italian, Spanish, etc… were once considered ‘dialects’ in Europe. A time when Latin, a language that was not the mother-tongue of anyone, rather a language of a religious, intellectual and social elite was considered as ‘the language’. It is of no need to talk about what Latin became nowadays; a dead language.
Chapter Summaries
1. Language and Identity: This chapter introduces the theoretical premise that language is not merely a medium for communication, but a central component in the formation and shaping of individual and collective identities.
2. The Arabization-Process of the Suppression of the ‘Moroccan’ Identity: This section analyzes the historical and political implementation of Arabization in Morocco, arguing that it functions as a postcolonial tool that marginalizes local identities and indigenous languages while fostering a sense of inferiority among native speakers.
Keywords
Language, Identity, Arabization, Morocco, Postcolonialism, Linguistic Hegemony, Amazigh, Nationalism, Cultural Suppression, Dialects, Common Sense, Colonialism, Ideology, Sociolinguistics.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this publication?
The work focuses on the intersection of language and identity, specifically exploring how state-driven language policies in postcolonial contexts, such as Morocco, impact the cultural recognition of diverse groups.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The themes include the political nature of language, the construction of ethnic and national identity, the history of Arabization in Morocco, and the psychological impact of linguistic marginalization.
What is the central research question?
The research asks how the Arabization process influences the suppression of the multifaceted 'Moroccan' identity and what the underlying political motivations for such linguistic policies are.
Which theoretical framework is employed?
The author uses perspectives from postcolonial theory, incorporating concepts from Frantz Fanon (internalized inferiority/objectification) and Antonio Gramsci (linguistic hegemony and common sense) to analyze the situation.
What does the main body of the work address?
The main body critically deconstructs concepts like 'the Arab' and 'language', examines the historical letter from the el-Istiqlal party, and analyzes how state policy attempts to standardize language at the expense of local varieties.
Which keywords best describe the work?
Key terms include Arabization, Identity, Morocco, Linguistic Hegemony, Postcolonialism, and Cultural Suppression.
How does the author interpret the concept of 'the Arab'?
The author identifies 'the Arab' as a complex, often political term, arguing that its definition is frequently tied more to the use of the Arabic language and religious affiliation than to a single, monolithic ethnicity.
What analogy is drawn between Latin and modern dialects?
The author compares the historical status of Latin, which was the language of an elite rather than a mother-tongue, to the current status of Standard Arabic in relation to local dialects, suggesting that modern linguistic hierarchies are similarly artificial.
- Quote paper
- Student-Researcher Amine Zidouh (Author), 2013, Language and Identity - The Arabization Process or the Suppression of Identity, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/212048
