Moroccan Monarchy and the Islamist Challenge: Maintaining Makhzen Power

An examination of the Moroccan monarchy’s religious authority and its use of rituals of power, this book look at how the monarchy limits the ability of Islamist and non-Islamist opposition groups to contest its legitimacy in Morocco. The author explores the micro-dynamics of symbolic power and the extent to which the regime uses rituals of power to create a political culture conducive to the monarchy’s supremacy in the socio-political realm. These rituals have been institutionalized in the political system and have become part of the political discourse in Morocco. The monarchy’s religious authority and its use of rituals of power impede the ability of Islamist and other opposition groups to mobilize and to penetrate Moroccan society. The prevalence of this cultural and social hegemony contributes to the stability and resilience of the monarchical authoritarian regime in Morocco.