Sociology ETDs

Publication Date

7-11-2013

Abstract

This dissertation explores how Spanish Moroccans are negotiating their identities in post 3-11 Madrid. In doing so, I explore and capture the lived discourses that reveal the underlying processes that are shaping their identities at the micro, meso, and macro level. The data for this research was collected through in-depth interviews with 33 Spanish- Moroccans residing in Madrid, Spain. Results revealed that Spanish Moroccan identities are increasingly racialized towards a Muslim-Arab religious identity by two ideological currents found at the local and the transnational level: Islamophobia and the Ummah. The Islamophobia racial project was experienced by my participants at the micro-level of everyday interactions including at work, educational institutions, and public life. This strengthened an attachment to a Muslim first identity. At the transnational level, Ummah ideological scapes shaped my participants identities via Arabic Satellite television and transnational Islamic movements. These scapes reinforced a Muslim- Arab first identity among my participants. These findings indicate that Spanish Moroccans are experiencing what I coined as dual communal racialization, a process wherein individuals are exposed to two racial projects that are simultaneously racializing my participants identities towards a Muslim —Arab ethno-racial identity. Moreover, at the meso-level, I found that my participants lacked any active participation in voluntary associations; but did belong to what I call immigrant community spheres, which include the mosque, Muslim monuments, and the Moroccan café. These 'institutions' are often cites of contention for dual communal racialization and work to reinforce identity ties and claims towards Islam and the Spanish state.

Degree Name

Sociology

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Sociology

First Committee Member (Chair)

Wood, Richard L

Second Committee Member

Gonzales, Phillip

Third Committee Member

Lubin, Alex

Keywords

Spain, Morocco, Racialization, Dual Communal Racialization, Immigrant Community Spheres

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

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