Moroccan Youth and the Forming of a New Generation: Social Change, Collective Action and Political Activism

Abstract

The demonstrations by thousands of young people since 20 February 2011 have re-launched the debate on the position of the young and their social, economic and political conditions in Moroccan society. This article examines that position and these conditions, revealing a series of social changes that justify our speaking of the emergence of a new sociological generation. It also analyses the 20th February Movement, its nature, its limits and its achievements, as well as the Moroccan regime's responses to it. The conclusions are that the movement's demands represent the vanguard of the reformist agenda and are the tip of the iceberg of the changes experienced by young people. Thus it is possible that we can speak here about a new historical generation.