In the early 2011 the people of many Arabic countries decided to no longer take the repressions that they had been subjected to for decades. Starting with the self-ignition of a young Tunisian, the call for deposition of the despots, for the granting of basic civil and human rights and thereby for democracy lead to a movement – often referred to as “the Arab Spring” - never seen before in that region of the earth. In Tunisia and Egypt the demonstrators accomplished to remove the potentates remaining peacefully despite the violent suppressions they were facing. In Lybia the rebels eventually gained power through a civil war being supported by the United Nations and the NATO. In Yemen and Syria the situation can still develop in several directions. In Bahrain endeavors have been violently nipped in the bud. Morocco, however, remains a puzzling exception. In my paper I will analyze the possible explanations the WorldValuesSurvey offers for the relatively reserved uprisings observed in Morocco. Therefore the “fundamental predispositions in favor of democratic orders”(p189) by Lasswell and especially the complementing “dogmatism scale” by Rokeach – as both discussed in Welzel (2007) - will serve as the theoretical foundation for assessing certain results given by the WVS. Rokeach’s explanatory approach can basically be seen as the reversed analysis on the same issue: Lasswell provides preconditions that facilitate democratic behavior in an individual, Rokeach measures the “closed”-mindedness that prevents democratic behavior in an individual, therefore both approaches can be perceived as complementing. I will focus my analysis on Rokeach’s dogmatism scale. The perception that an open-mindedness towards other human beings and its various manifestations plays an important role in several areas is retrievable in many fields of social science, for example Putnam5 argues that it is crucial for social capital and civicness, Inglehart that post-materialism fosters open-mindedness in social coherences.
Table of Contents
(5) Threat perceptions
(4) Low Self-Esteem
(3) Fatalism
(2) Intolerance of Diversity
(1) A Strong belief into authority
Evaluation
Conclusion
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This paper investigates the reasons behind Morocco's relative stability and lack of significant uprising during the 2011 Arab Spring, analyzing the country's sociopolitical climate through the lens of individual psychological predispositions. By applying Rokeach's dogmatism scale and Lasswell’s theories on democratic behavior to World Values Survey data, the research aims to determine whether the Moroccan population displays the necessary psychological traits for democratic engagement or whether closed-mindedness serves as a barrier to political change.
- The application of Rokeach’s dogmatism scale to Moroccan society.
- Analysis of democratic preconditions as defined by Lasswell and Welzel.
- Psychological indicators of closed-mindedness, including fatalism, threat perception, and authority bias.
- The impact of ethnic and religious homogeneity on political transition.
- The influence of the Moroccan monarch's perception as a liberal reformer.
Excerpt from the Book
(5) Threat perceptions
The best match for this item given by the WVS is V23 (Most people can be trusted) as the absence of trust goes hand in hand with the feeling of being threatened. As Figure 1 suggests the Moroccan people do not think very highly of mutual trust, but are rather suspicious of each other. The reasons for that can be of religious, historic or demographic nature for the population of Morocco is dichotomous, consisting of 70% Arabs and 30% Berbers7. However, if one is taking a look at the items V126 to V130IQB that are specifying on what groups of people are actually trustworthy it becomes apparent that Moroccans especially mistrust people that differ from them in terms of religion and nationality. Despite the relativization by that remark, the mistrust of the Moroccan population remains remarkably high. According to Welzel4(p189) the sequence of steps is already intermitted, which would mean that the result for the following 4 items would all the more disqualify the Moroccan people in terms of an open-mindedness and thereby a “fundamental predisposition” towards democratic behavior.
Summary of Chapters
(5) Threat perceptions: Examines the low levels of mutual trust in Morocco, highlighting how high suspicion toward out-groups may hinder the development of democratic predisposition.
(4) Low Self-Esteem: Evaluates the individual's ability to maintain independence of thought against peer pressure, noting an unexpected level of self-esteem in the Moroccan data.
(3) Fatalism: Discusses the impact of fatalistic worldviews on personal initiative, identifying a alignment between religious predestination and passive-authoritarian characteristics.
(2) Intolerance of Diversity: Analyzes how the country's ethnic and religious homogeneity influences perceptions of diversity and social cohesion.
(1) A Strong belief into authority: Explores the surprising preference for strong authority figures among the populace, even within an already authoritarian state structure.
Evaluation: Synthesizes the empirical findings with Frankfurt School theories on authoritarian personality to explain the ambivalence of Moroccan societal attitudes.
Conclusion: Summarizes that the ‘sequence of steps theory’ does not hold in the Moroccan context and acknowledges that societal transition remains ambiguous and difficult to predict.
Keywords
Morocco, Arab Spring, Rokeach, Dogmatism Scale, World Values Survey, Democracy, Authoritarian Personality, Fatalism, Political Transition, Societal Homogeneity, Middle East, Civicness, Social Capital, Human Rights, Democratization
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines why Morocco remained a notable exception to the widespread uprisings during the 2011 Arab Spring, seeking to understand the psychological and societal factors that contributed to this stability.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The study centers on the intersection of individual psychological predispositions and political behavior, specifically looking at trust, authority, fatalism, self-esteem, and intolerance of diversity.
What is the central research question?
The author asks whether the Moroccan population possesses the "fundamental predispositions" for democratic behavior or if psychological traits, such as closed-mindedness, prevent the pursuit of democratic reform.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The research utilizes secondary data from the World Values Survey (WVS) and applies Rokeach’s dogmatism scale and Welzel’s theories on democratic preconditions to analyze the mindset of the Moroccan populace.
What is discussed in the main body of the paper?
The main body breaks down five specific psychological measurements—threat perception, self-esteem, fatalism, tolerance for diversity, and belief in authority—against empirical data to assess their role in the Moroccan socio-political landscape.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Morocco, Arab Spring, Dogmatism Scale, World Values Survey, Authoritarian Personality, and Democratization.
How does the author categorize the Moroccan belief in authority?
The author identifies that 71% of respondents express a desire for greater respect for authority, which the paper deems fundamentally incompatible with the demands of democratic governance.
What conclusion is drawn regarding the 'sequence of steps theory'?
The author concludes that the 'sequence of steps theory,' which suggests that psychological indicators build logically upon one another to form an authoritarian or democratic character, does not hold true in the Moroccan case due to conflicting empirical results.
- Quote paper
- Jan-David Franke (Author), 2011, Why Morocco missed the Arab Spring., Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/264813
