FAO Quotables

"But being right, even morally right, isn't everything. It is also important to be competent, to be consistent, and to be knowledgeable. It's important for your soldiers and diplomats to speak the language of the people you want to influence. It's important to understand the ethnic and tribal divisions of the place you hope to assist."
-Anne Applebaum

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Abstract for my thesis: Amazigh-State Relations in Algeria in Morocco

25 SEP 2013 Update: Here's a link to my full thesis: 


Abstract for my thesis: Amazigh-State Relations in Algeria in Morocco

As some of the original inhabitants of North Africa, the indigenous Amazigh population in Morocco and Algeria has withstood waves of invaders to retain a distinct cultural and linguistic identity that has persisted within—and despite—nearly fourteen centuries of Arab rule. The emergence of Morocco and Algeria as modern nation-states following their independence from French colonial masters marked the beginning of a tension still apparent today between each state and its ethnic Amazigh minorities. With one state (i.e., Morocco) more inclusive and progressive and the other more repressive and exclusionary (i.e., Algeria), what are the factors that explain the different outcomes in both states?   



This study compares the two movements in Algeria and Morocco by investigating the relative salience of two central variables—that of each state’s institutions  (to include its political system) and the behavior of its movements—on the outcomes for the Amazigh community. The major finding is that state institutions stand as the most potent variable due to their ability to channel movement strategies towards either militancy or accommodation. This power is largely illustrated through Morocco’s reliance on cooptation as an initial response to expressions of grievance that has produced a milder form of activism. In contrast, the Algerian state has defaulted to a more repressive approach (to dissent of any kind) that has produced a strident activism with radical offshoots. Movement behavior continues to play a secondary supporting role that largely hinges on its ability to use globalization as an amplifying and mobilizing instrument for international pressure.  

5 comments:

  1. Hi! I'm an Amazigh student myself and am quite interested in this topic, would you be open to communicating about your research? I'd like to know more about the work you're doing.

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  2. It is amazing how this part of your paper have enough information and data to supplement your topic. I guess thesis abstract is really an essential part of any academic paper writing. How I wish you posted the whole paper for us to see. It can be a great source of information for people who are also on the same field as you.

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  3. Eden, please feel free to shoot me a note at jackfaokruse@gmail.com. I loved researching the topic and look forward to writing more on it in the future.

    Shaina, I will be posting my entire thesis here in the next few weeks. I just graduated and in the middle of a move so as I get settled I will be putting more up here. I found the abstract an especially useful tool in the thesis writing process--it helped me boil down what exactly all the research I was doing was pointing to.

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  4. I posted my thesis in its entirety here: http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2013/08/amazighstaterelationsmoroccoalgeria.berber.fao.html

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  5. your abstract suggests that you've got an interesting study. Your thesis might also open a lot of thesis topic ideas for several students or for those who are still working on choosing a topic for their paper. Congratulations and good job!

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