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Blog 2: Ability or Social Status

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One experience during our visit to the École Nationale d’Agriculture de Meknès (ENA) stood out to me beyond agriculture itself. During the presentation, I became fascinated by their highly competitive admissions process and began thinking about social status through the lens of educational opportunity. Educational institutions often function as gateways for social mobility, yet access is not always equally distributed. The World Bank (2018) identifies education as one of the strongest pathways for improving social mobility and expanding life opportunities worldwide. Research suggests that educational opportunities strongly influence future advancement, while barriers related to access and socioeconomic factors continue to shape outcomes (El Kallal, 2024). Similar discussions surrounding higher education in Morocco have identified ongoing challenges related to educational access and equity within the broader system (Ezzahra & Haoucha, 2025). What made this field trip especially me...
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Blog 1 - Race, Ethnicity, Culture, or Religion

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  I first heard the term “Amazigh’’ from our tour guide in Casablanca. The Amazigh people are North Africa's indigenous inhabitants whose history in Morocco dates back thousands of years. Their continuing culture includes distinct languages, tribal communities and a strong connection to the land. The name “Berber” originated with outsiders, tied to the Greek and Roman word for “barbarian’’. Today many view it as outdated. Despite colonization, Arabization and political pressure, the Amazigh identity has persisted through language, traditions and cultural practices (FUNCI, 2020; Minority Rights Group, n.d.). Most people now use “Amazigh,” meaning “free people.” This return to their original name signals the Amazigh's struggle for identity. Amazigh communities are found throughout Morocco and North Africa and form a significant part of the population of Morocco. Our Moroccan tour guides, all fully or partially Imazighen, emphasize that while outsiders call them Berbers, they pref...
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Blog 1 - Race, Ethnicity, Culture or Religion

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 Before I travelled here to Morocco, I was only vaguely familiar with the Berbers (ie. Amazigh people). On arriving here, I started learning more about them. The Amazigh people are the historically indiginous population, and much of Moroccan culture exists upon the foundations they laid out. The "Arabization" of the country only added an extra layer on top of existing Amazigh cultures and traditions, which is a fact laid out by a handful of our tourguides thusfar as well. Encyclopedia Brittanica highlights that during the spread of Arab cultures (and the Islamic religion), the rise of written Arabic as a script had reduced the Amazigh tongue to a folk language, meaning that it was primarily spread orally (Brett, 2019). In more recent times, one of the Amazigh languages has been revived as a written language called "Tamazight." I've noticed this language and its script on the roadsigns we pass by, or on buildings such as the government buildings with French, Arab...
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Blog 1: Race, Ethnicity, Culture, or Religion

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  “Remind me, what are you doing in Morocco?”, is the most common question on my DM’s (direct messages) lately. To which I would reply with my expectations of learning about agriculture, leadership, and culture. What I did not expect was that one of the strongest impressions I would make as we are halfway through our trip would be the sound of faith. Throughout our travels across Casablanca, Rabat, Larache, Tanger, Chefchaouen, and Fes, one experience repeatedly captured my attention: hearing the call to prayer echo through cities and communities. Whether walking through medinas, sitting in restaurants, or looking out from our hotel windows, I noticed how prayer was not hidden away behind walls. Faith here seemed woven into everyday life. Even though I now live in the Bible Belt, where church culture and faith are important parts of many communities, I was still struck by how much more visible religion feels in Morocco. In the United States, faith often seems more individualized...
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Blog 1 (written by Fatima, posted on Mayra's ipad): Race, ethnicity, or religion

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Living in America, I am predispositioned to believe that religion is a private matter and that no one, including the government, can force it on you. While the Moroccan government in no way forces religion onto their people, it is still fascinating to see how they don’t really exercise separation of church and state like the American government does. For example, alcohol and public intoxication is banned in most places in Morocco, other than international cities and restaurants licensed to serve alcohol (Society, 2026). This law is largely influenced by Islamic doctrines that prohibits the consumption of alcohol.  The idea that religion is a public affair in Morocco is an important concept that influences their laws and the responsibility of the King and his government. For example, in order to gain political power, many self-proclaimed religious leaders will preach attractive principles based on the tensions of the time, attract followers, and lead their group towards violence and...
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Blog 1: Race, Ethnicity, Culture or Religion

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     While the official state religion of Morocco is Islam, the population features a slight variety. Most of the country practices Sunni Islam - nearly 99% of the population, while only one percent practice other religions such as Judaism, Christianity, Shia, and Baha’i. Throughout our tours, we have learned that the Moroccan government does guarantee the freedom of religion and the ability to practice other religions such as Judaism openly and freely. While Jewish history in Morocco has been through many challenges, the religious group still remains, mostly in Casablanca. However, Moroccan Jews may be impacted by their limited population size and aging demographic.  The Jewish presence in Morocco dates back thousands of years and has a significant historical presence in many cities. According to World Jewish Congress, “Jewish refugees arrived in [Morocco] after the 1391 Spanish murders…, and beginning in the 15th century, lived in special quarters called ‘Mellah’...
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Blog 1: race, ethnicity, culture

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  The identity I am choosing that is different from my own is that of the Islamic religion. The Islamic religion is the dominant religion of Morocco. It is a monotheistic religion that believes in a god called Allah who is the creator, sustainer, and judge. This religion is a holistic religion that “connects every aspect of life with a divine purpose,” (super Muslim). Some of the major pillars of this religion include faith, prayer, charity, and fasting. Some practices of the Islamic faith include women wearing hijabs, praying 5 times a day, and completing fasting while the sun is up during Ramadan. With these practices and faith can come some issues with society. I think the most potent issue is Islamophobia. Because Muslims are often very open and outwardly express their faith through things like their clothes, eating practices, or daily prayer, it can become easy for them to stick out and seem different when they are in the minority. Because of this people often immediately judg...
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