Paradoxes of Language Policy in Morocco: Deconstructing the Ideology of Language Alternation and the Resurgence of French in STEM Instruction
Language-in-education policies often serve hidden political and economic agendas, and thus language policy research must examine policies beyond official state discourse. This article critically analyzes Morocco’s Language Alternation Policy (LAP), introduced in 2019, using the historical–structural...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/10/6/135 |
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| author | Brahim Chakrani Adam Ziad Abdenbi Lachkar |
| author_facet | Brahim Chakrani Adam Ziad Abdenbi Lachkar |
| author_sort | Brahim Chakrani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Language-in-education policies often serve hidden political and economic agendas, and thus language policy research must examine policies beyond official state discourse. This article critically analyzes Morocco’s Language Alternation Policy (LAP), introduced in 2019, using the historical–structural approach. It examines the broader historical context and structural factors that shape the adoption and implementation of LAP. While the official policy discourse frames LAP as an egalitarian reform aimed at promoting balanced multilingualism by alternating instructional media in science education, its de facto implementation reveals a stark contradiction. The ideological underpinnings of LAP are the resurgence of French as the exclusive medium of instruction in science and technology classrooms. This policy undercuts a decades-long Arabization of science and the promotion of the Amazigh language, as well as denying Moroccans the potential advantages of learning English. The disparity between official policy discourse and implementation reveals the influence of France’s neocolonial agenda, exercised through Francophonie, international clientelism, and financial patronage. Through implementing LAP to align with France’s interests in Morocco, French-trained political actors undermine the country’s decolonization efforts and preserve the long-standing socioeconomic privileges of the francophone elite. We analyze how LAP functions ideologically to resolidify France’s cultural and linguistic hegemony and reinforce pre- and post-independence linguistic and social inequalities. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-69dc1b0927414d3ea9a5b2d6a7239aff |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2226-471X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Languages |
| spelling | doaj-art-69dc1b0927414d3ea9a5b2d6a7239aff2025-08-20T03:16:22ZengMDPI AGLanguages2226-471X2025-06-0110613510.3390/languages10060135Paradoxes of Language Policy in Morocco: Deconstructing the Ideology of Language Alternation and the Resurgence of French in STEM InstructionBrahim Chakrani0Adam Ziad1Abdenbi Lachkar2Department of Linguistics, Languages and Cultures, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USADepartment of Languages, Linguistics, and Comparative Literature, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USADepartment of Arabic and Hebraic Studies, University of Montpellier Paul Valery, 34099 Montpellier, FranceLanguage-in-education policies often serve hidden political and economic agendas, and thus language policy research must examine policies beyond official state discourse. This article critically analyzes Morocco’s Language Alternation Policy (LAP), introduced in 2019, using the historical–structural approach. It examines the broader historical context and structural factors that shape the adoption and implementation of LAP. While the official policy discourse frames LAP as an egalitarian reform aimed at promoting balanced multilingualism by alternating instructional media in science education, its de facto implementation reveals a stark contradiction. The ideological underpinnings of LAP are the resurgence of French as the exclusive medium of instruction in science and technology classrooms. This policy undercuts a decades-long Arabization of science and the promotion of the Amazigh language, as well as denying Moroccans the potential advantages of learning English. The disparity between official policy discourse and implementation reveals the influence of France’s neocolonial agenda, exercised through Francophonie, international clientelism, and financial patronage. Through implementing LAP to align with France’s interests in Morocco, French-trained political actors undermine the country’s decolonization efforts and preserve the long-standing socioeconomic privileges of the francophone elite. We analyze how LAP functions ideologically to resolidify France’s cultural and linguistic hegemony and reinforce pre- and post-independence linguistic and social inequalities.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/10/6/135Arabic-medium instructionArabizationFrancophonielanguage alternationlanguage ideologylanguage policy |
| spellingShingle | Brahim Chakrani Adam Ziad Abdenbi Lachkar Paradoxes of Language Policy in Morocco: Deconstructing the Ideology of Language Alternation and the Resurgence of French in STEM Instruction Languages Arabic-medium instruction Arabization Francophonie language alternation language ideology language policy |
| title | Paradoxes of Language Policy in Morocco: Deconstructing the Ideology of Language Alternation and the Resurgence of French in STEM Instruction |
| title_full | Paradoxes of Language Policy in Morocco: Deconstructing the Ideology of Language Alternation and the Resurgence of French in STEM Instruction |
| title_fullStr | Paradoxes of Language Policy in Morocco: Deconstructing the Ideology of Language Alternation and the Resurgence of French in STEM Instruction |
| title_full_unstemmed | Paradoxes of Language Policy in Morocco: Deconstructing the Ideology of Language Alternation and the Resurgence of French in STEM Instruction |
| title_short | Paradoxes of Language Policy in Morocco: Deconstructing the Ideology of Language Alternation and the Resurgence of French in STEM Instruction |
| title_sort | paradoxes of language policy in morocco deconstructing the ideology of language alternation and the resurgence of french in stem instruction |
| topic | Arabic-medium instruction Arabization Francophonie language alternation language ideology language policy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/10/6/135 |
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