Reimagining the Maghreb: Navigating an Autonomous Region in Motion
Julius Dihstelhoff / Rachid Ouaissa / Thomas Richter
Reimagining the Maghreb: Navigating an Autonomous Region in Motion
MECAM Papers English | 2024
The Maghreb has been shaped and influenced by external powers and forces in most phases of its recent history. As a vibrant space in motion, this world region is only at the beginning of a long process of carving out its own future autonomous role.
Historically, the Maghreb has faced internal tensions in straddling acute disparities as well as complex external interlinkages with surrounding regions. These tensions are crucial for understanding contemporary transformation processes and future dynamics.
While the countries of the Maghreb have distinct historical particularities, commonalities such as language, religion, and historical experiences abound. Since the Arab Uprisings of 2010–2011, Maghrebi societies have encountered common challenges such as transitioning from rentier economies and authoritarianism, justice and equality issues, and managing identity crises.
The dynamics in the Maghreb region – and particularly in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia – subsequent to the Arab Uprisings follow key trajectories: social and political transformations, economic challenges and a “New Deal,” visions of unity and mobility, geopolitical challenges, and regional foreign policy outlooks.
These changes are reflected in academics now adopting a more critical approach. Contemporary scholarship seeks to enrich dialogue by incorporating diverse perspectives and challenging Western-centric paradigms, while also promoting epistemic justice.
Context
Based on its guiding theme “Imagining Futures – Dealing with Disparity,” MECAM, the Merian Centre for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb in Tunis, aims to play a notable role in advancing both current and future knowledge production in the Humanities and Social Sciences within, from, and about the Maghreb.
Ghana and Tunisia have often been framed as beacons of democracy in their respective regions. However, as Ghana’s democracy matured over decades, Tunisia’s experiment ultimately collapsed. This paper examines diverse factors shaping their paths, offering lessons on the risks of democratic backsliding.
