The Sociolinguistic Situation in North Africa: Recognizing and Institutionalizing Tamazight and New Challenges

Abstract

This article reviews several issues that are important for understanding the sociolinguistic situation in North Africa, with an emphasis on Morocco. The article surveys the manner in which North Africa's sociolinguistic profile has evolved over the last two decades (2001–2021). The topics discussed here include the tumultuous and chaotic promotion of monolingualism and the relentless efforts to erase and expunge Amazigh identity from North Africa despite the region's long history of linguistic diversity. Based on an imported ideological slant, these attempts to erase Amazigh identity lasted for decades and contributed to the marginalization of Amazigh people and other minorized communities in the region.