Blog 2: Ability or Social Status

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 Social status of Amazigh (berbers)



Throughout our tours, I met guides who emphasized their Amazigh ethnicity. At first, I felt that they were proud of their origins, people, and culture, and I’m sure this is true. However, I also feel that they make these emphatic declarations because they feel marginalized and shamed, leading them to stress this part of themselves even more. I was most certain of this when the tour guide in Fes said that the king had trouble garnering the people’s support when he married his Arab wife because the marriage was not representative of the majority ethnicity. After the backlash, the king revealed his Amazigh lineage. But this begs the question: why wasn’t this always known? Why was he hiding it?

In the past, Morocco has consistently tried to assimilate and Arabize the Amazigh people by falsifying their history and promoting other languages, religions, and cultures (Marcus, 2025). The promotion of Darija, French, and other languages over the Amazigh language highlights the perceived inferiority of Amazigh ethnicity. Language is the gateway to culture, social interaction, and expression, and if a language is viewed as inferior, the ethnicity associated with it will be seen the same way, as it has been historically. It wasn’t until 2011 that Morocco officially recognized the Amazigh language, acknowledged its value, and protected it from disappearing (El Borji, 2022). This step forward formally recognized Amazigh ethnicity as equal to others.

There are many instances throughout American history in which the government has tried to assimilate ethnic groups by erasing their language and culture. For example, to assimilate Native Americans, children were sent to boarding schools and forced to speak English and forget their native languages. Like in Morocco, these were not just acts of assimilation but also evidence of a strong social hierarchy that placed other ethnicities at the bottom. Currently, lawmakers actively push to make English the official language, and the effects of this on non-native speakers need to be studied (Reyhner, 1997).



Marcus, C. (2025). The Indigenous World 2025: Morocco. IWGIA. https://iwgia.org/en/morocco/5632-iw-2025-morocco.html 

El Borji, N. (2022). The officialization of the Amazigh language in Morocco: A historic event. International Arab Journal of English for Specific Purposes, 5(1), 106–115.

Reyhner, J. A. (1997). Language in America: American Indian languages. Northern Arizona University. https://jan.ucc.nau.edu/jar/LIA.html



Comments

  1. Olivia CatanzaroMay 26, 2026 at 12:29 PM

    Fatima, I really enjoyed reading your blog! This helped me learn more about the history of Amazigh identity and the ways language can shape social status and cultural acceptance. I especially found your discussion about the king’s Amazigh lineage interesting because it highlights how ethnicity and public perception can still influence politics and social identity today. I also liked your comparison to Native American assimilation in the United States because it showed that cultural erasure and language suppression are not unique to Morocco. One thing your post made me think more about is how language preservation can play an important role in protecting cultural identity over time. According to UNESCO, many Indigenous languages around the world are currently endangered due to globalization and historical assimilation policies, which can lead to the loss of cultural traditions and historical knowledge along with the language itself (UNESCO, n.d.). After hearing Amazigh guides proudly emphasize their identity throughout our trip, I now better understand why preserving language and culture can feel so personally important for communities that have historically experienced marginalization. I also wonder whether younger generations in Morocco feel more encouraged to openly embrace Amazigh identity today compared to previous generations because of the official recognition of the language in 2011.

    Reference

    UNESCO. (n.d.). World atlas of languages. https://en.wal.unesco.org/

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