Spanish-Maghribi (Moroccan) relations beyond exceptionalism: a postcolonial perspective

Abstract

Spanish-Maghribi relations can be considered within a very unique framework of geographical and historical confluences. This paper explores how the interwoven pasts of Spain and the Maghrib generated a particular rhetoric of exceptionalism that not only fostered colonial intervention in North Africa, but still permeates current institutional and academic literature. By problematising past and present from a postcolonial perspective, we would like to transcend the rhetoric of a splendorous shared past and a unique colonial experience.

Religious Diversity in Europe

“…These memories place Spain in a unique and exceptional position in Europe. Its geographical location, historical background as well as its linguistic and social composition are among the narratives that advocate for its 'exceptionalism' in its relationship with Islam and Arab-Islamic culture (Arigita 2011;Fernández Parrilla and Cañete 2018).…”

“…Elena Arigita (2011: 223) The emotional evocation of religious history, and the mobilisation of memories of al-Andalus in particular, work at different levels and still permeate political, cultural and social life in Spain (Arigita 2011;Fernández Parrilla and Cañete 2018). However, rather than emphasising a strong Christian or Catholic religious identity, political discourses have predominantly focused on the amplification of a fear of Islam, which has led to an increasing institutionalisation of Islamophobia and a greater emphasis on a security agenda.…”

Moroccan-Spanish Couples’ Decolonial Responses on Tiktok

“…This platform allows to build a community and promote a deeper understanding of mixedness (Travison, 2020). In this case, we study Spanish-Moroccan mixed couples who must face the cultural stereotypes derived from the geographical, historical, and colonial confluences between these two nations (Fernández-Parrilla & Cañete, 2018).…”