Darija and the construction of “Moroccanness”

Abstract

Darija has undergone drastic changes in practices in the emerging Moroccan civil society from the beginning of the century. Its status was influenced by the place it had taken in the Moroccan landscape. Darija suffers from its internalized dependency from its umbrella language, Classical Arabic. Darija played a central part in the artistic productions of the urban scene, partly because the artists of the Nayda mostly come from a popular background where Darija is the only language used daily. Voices claimed that Darija was a key element for the definition of a new Moroccan identity, "Moroccanness". To emphasise its "Moroccanness," he tried to give Darija a new name, L'Maghribiya : We must at all costs get out of this linguistic-identity issue. Darija has become a means of expressing Moroccanness publicly through creativity, and not just through nationalism. Artists and citizens have often chosen to change writing habits – or to simply start writing – in Darija.

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