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The Positive Impact of Colonialism on Morocco:

Kawtar ouatmane
Aya ahaggach
Niama oubiha
Ibrahim laassal
Introduction to critical thinking
FAS 1220
Dr. Khalid Asfar
11/28/2023
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The Positive Impact of Colonialism on Morocco:

Colonization is movement where a country takes over another one to exploit its fortunes

such as gold, silver, spices …etc. not only do they exploit its sources but also leave countless

negative impacts that will take decades and decades to disappear, but the affects will remain in

the history of the country colonized. The topic has always caused controversy. However,

analyzing the effects of colonization in Morocco presents a complex image that includes both

positive and negative aspects. Even while we acknowledge the historical injustices and

challenges encountered during this time, it is imperative that we consider the potential

advantages of colonization for Morocco's development. Talking about Morocco, colonization

brought both good and bad things. It messed with the country's resources and culture, leaving

lasting scars. But, we believe, that colonialisms bring some positive things that helped Morocco

grow and improve its situation.

The colonial past of Morocco is intricately made up into the rich tapestry of Arab-Muslim

and native Berber influence. Morocco's cultural and political legacy was shaped by the rise and

fall of several dynasties, including the Almoravids, Almohad, Merinids, and Saadis, prior to the

arrival of European imperialism. (Abun-Nasr, J. M. 1987).

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During the 19th century, European interest in Morocco increased in line with the larger

"Scramble for Africa." To increase its power in the area, France sparked the first Franco-

Moroccan War, which lasted from 1844 to 1847. Morocco's independence was confirmed by the

Treaty of Tangiers, but it also left the country vulnerable to outside pressure. (Pennell, C. 2000).

The signing of the Treaty of Fes in 1912, which divided Morocco into protectorates of

Spain and France, marked a turning point. Spain acquired control over certain areas in the north

and south, but France still held most of the territory. During the colonial era, which lasted until

1956, both European powers implemented a number of reforms, many of which suited their own

political and economic agendas. (Kennedy, H. 2011).

Moroccans' discontent was reflected in the country's resistance to colonial rule, which

took many forms, including significant uprisings like the Rif War (1920–1926). Vichy France's

brief occupation of French Morocco during World War II created a new dynamic that fueled

nationalist sentiments even more. The 1944-founded Istiqlal Party was a major force in the

campaign for Moroccan independence. (bun-Nasr, J. M. 1987).

Morocco became an official independent nation in 1956 when the protectorates were

ended due to pressure from abroad and internal unrest. After Sultan Mohammed V took the

throne and eventually became King, the nation started a process of nation-building. Morocco's

political, economic, and social structures are still shaped by its colonial past, which also affects

its identity and ties with other former colonial powers. Morocco's current diverse and culturally
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rich nation has been shaped by its independence struggle and the era of nation-building that

followed. (Pennell, C. 2003).

French colonizers impacted Morocco’s language positively. They introduced to Morocco

the Standarization of languages, which consists of unifying language and have a common

language in communication and education to make them easy for everyone (Eid, 2020). This

Standarization was helped by some technology integration like printing presses (Salameh, 2019).

The development of education is always referred to the French administration and Spanish who

worked on the harmonization of language alongside Arabic and switch all the systems to a one

language to make it easy to the mind to focus more and understand more (Brower, 2016). All this

led to a linguistic richness that is still alive in the current Morocco, and it is still shaping

Morocco’s educational system and landscape positively. We can say that this linguistic richness

is always present in our daily language, and this causes diversity, so we usually find that each

city has its own word or description of the thing, so each item has a lot nouns.

By its investment in education, the French helped in the language development

positively, they introduce some reforms in the legacies and the curriculum, which raise the rate

of literacy and as a result having a language proficiency, and having a bilingualism, which helps

in having a richer culture (Hogan, 2019). By borrowing words from both languages with the

daily interaction between the colonizers and the local population, it created a fusion of linguistic,

“hybrid languages”, so most of our dialectic Arabic “ Darija” is coming from French, Spanish,

and English, we can find a simple differences in pronunciation. The colonizers always control

and influence the knowledge so the formal education that Moroccan had access to it were all
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from the colonizers’ perspective, so it was in the colonizer’s language. We can conclude that

even if Morrocco is an independent country, but it still follows indirectly the colonizers.

The colonial’s impact on the culture of Morocco can clearly be observed in the

architecture styles that is modernized by French and Spain (Thomas, 2008), the latters leave an

imprint on the country’s aesthetic identity (Thomas,2017), like what we find in Tanger's old

medina, in Casablanca's old medina. Morocco is now characterized by a unique architecture in

each of its cities (Thomas, 2019), and this is depending on the country that colonizes this city,

like Tanger was colonized by the Spanish so the architecture of most building in Tanger,

resemble to this of Spain, moving to Casablanca and rabat, we find that most buildings and

architecture is resembling to this of French . It also influences the cuisine, by having an exchange

of ingredients, and the techniques of cooking, and creating a fusion dish from both cultures. So

that we find in all cities of Morocco a diversity of dishes, each city is known by a dish, and each

city is known by its own way to cook thins dish. Talking about culture, we should not forget to

talk about clothes. Clothes and fashion were directly influenced by the colonizers, the traditional

clothes were modernized, or changed by other fashion styles.

It influenced also the art and literature in Morocco, they were influenced by some French

and Spanish artists and writers (Hogan, 2012). This inspiration gives a cultural fusion between

European and indigenous elements (Salameh, 2022), and it leads to a creation of vibrant and

unique literary traditions (Cole, 2022). That is why Morocco’s culture is always on the top of

many cultures and is always a destination for discovers to discover it more and know about its
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origin, because it gathers small ideas from different cultures, and it mixes them in a way that

makes them different and interested.

Colonialism helped Morocco to discover new things to improve its economy and this

news things were merged with some old things, and it gives us some new cultural industries like

some kinds of handicrafts (Brower, 2016). Colonialism influenced Morroco in many fields and

we can see this influence in economy, language, education, socio cultural...it helped in

discovering itself and having interactions with the world and it helps it in creating new and huge

culture, it helped in the occurrence of many advancements, and development that are still alive in

today’s community.

The language and culture of Morocco have been permanently damaged by colonialism.

There were major shifts in the ways that individuals communicated and displayed their cultural

identities during the French and Spanish colonial periods, which lasted until the mid-20th

century. Local languages and dialects became less significant because of the imposition of

European languages, particularly French and Spanish which became the professional dialect so.

A sense of loss and cultural estrangement was brought about by this change. Furthermore,

traditional Moroccan customs collided with foreign norms, beliefs, and educational systems,

creating uncertainty and making it difficult to preserve the nation's cultural legacy. These

historical obstacles still plague Morocco today, making it challenging to properly recover and

revive its own language

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and culture. Colonial rule's effects serve as a reminder of the ongoing struggle to preserve

Morocco's rich linguistic and cultural diversity. Furthermore, the imposition of foreign languages

as the medium of instruction in schools further marginalized the use of Moroccan languages and

hindered their development. This linguistic dominance has led to a decline in fluency and usage

of indigenous languages, creating a generational gap in language transmission and cultural

knowledge. Despite these obstacles, efforts are being made to promote language revitalization

and cultural preservation through initiatives such as language immersion programs and cultural

festivals. However, the lasting effects of colonialism continue to pose significant challenges in

reclaiming.

Morocco has been colonized by several nations and eras, which has had a deep effect on

the history of the nation that can’t be forgotten it will remain forever, and it continues to have an

impact on its sociopolitical landscape. On the other side, colonization brought countless

advancement, modernization, and cultural interchange such as food, music, language, sports.etc.

. However, the continued existence of social injustices, economic exploitation, and the erosion of

indigenous identity and culture frequently overshadowed these benefits.

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References:
Pennell, C. (2003). Morocco: From Empire to Independence. Oxford: Oneworld Publications.
Eid, S. M. (2020). Language and Education: Vol. 34, No. 1. Taylor & Francis.
Salameh, F. (2018). Language, Memory, and Identity in the Middle East: The Case for Lebanon.
Routledge.
Brower, D. R. (2019). French Colonialism in Morocco: The Long-Term Impact on Culture.
Cambridge University Press.
Hogan, P. C. (2012). Postcolonial Poetics: Genre and Form. SUNY Press.
Thomas, M. (2008). The French Colonial Mind, Volume 1: Mental Maps of Empire and Colonial
Encounters. University of Nebraska Press.
Thomas, M. (2019). Comparative Studies in Society and History: Vol. 61, No. 3. Cambridge
University Press.
Salameh, F. (2022). Journal of Postcolonial Writing: Vol. 58, No. 1. Routledge.
Cole, J. R. I. (2022). Colonialism and Revolution in the Middle East: Social and Cultural Origins
of Egypt's Urabi Movement. Princeton University Press.