ABSTRACT

Amazigh women can be considered as a double minority category as they are multiply marginalised. The implementation of the constitutional provision officialising the Amazigh language poses a number of challenges. The severe struggles faced by Amazigh women cut across socio-economic lines. To bring clarity to the issue of the Amazigh language status in Morocco’s power relations, it is useful to recall briefly Gramsci’s concept of ‘hegemony’ and Foucault’s theory of ‘discourse’. Geography is another site of oppression for Amazigh women as most live in rural areas, which generally benefit least from developments and investments taking place in Morocco. Although there is often a conflation between Amazigh women’s and rural women’s identities, there were few attempts by interviewees to distinguish between them. Some participants noted, for instance, that, while Amazigh women in rural areas struggle to enjoy their rights, Amazigh women in urban areas enjoy the same progress as Arab women.