Intersectionality Shaping the Movement: The Emergence of Self-organized Post-2011 Feminist Groups in Morocco

2011 has seen the emergence of a new generation of feminists in Morocco, whose interests find expression in neither the political claims of the so-called February 20 Movement nor earlier institutional feminist movements. This research will focus on these new groups, who seek to distinguish themselves from what they perceive as hegemonic Western anti-headscarf feminists, while drawing influence from muslim, anticolonial and intersectional feminist movements. The set of protest-related tools and actions (repertoire of contention) assumed by these groups will remain central to this work, exploring their usage of subversive slogans, art (drawing, music, ‘forum theatre’) and women-only workshops whose goal is empowerment. It will be noted that these groups tend to distance themselves from historical associations and corresponding modes of action, rejecting them for their elitism, “NGOisation,” close proximity to power and lack of radicalism. Instead, it will be shown that these new generation movements seek to promote the reconfiguration of activist practices through the adoption of self-organisation, novel methods and the quest for support from other subaltern groups. Intersectional and anticolonial feminist literature will be contrasted with that of French qualitative social movement theory. The analysis will concentrate on the weight of the set of protest-related means and actions available to activists, the conditions related to the adoption of a certain repertoire of contention, boundary making and identity-building practices. From a methodological standpoint, this research will rely on a literature review, as well as participant observation and qualitative interviews conducted with several activist groups. It will be shown that intersectionality plays a central role as a means of re-shaping strategies and tactical repertoire. Moreover, this research signals an important rupture from within the domain of women advocacy in Morocco - a valuable contribution to critical reflection on intersectional perspective in social movements studies.