East and West in Morocco

Because Morocco is a relatively small African country, its unique position between Europe, Africa, and the Mediterranean has given it a distinct culture, bringing together many Eastern and Western influences to create a blended culture (CIA World Factbook). Historically, this has shown up in cultural identifiers like clothing, which has included traditional African clothing as well as Western styles (Oxford Business Group).

This blend of cultures likely comes from its geographic location, as mentioned above, but that also influenced the trading in the area, which in turn affected the culture. For instance, culturally, Morocco is known for its rich foods, which likely come from being a stop in the Oriental spice trade (Khallouk, 2008). The biggest influence of Eastern culture on Morocco is clear in the relationships between people. The family is considered a vital aspect of life, like it would be in a collectivist society like China (Khallouk, 2008). A more relaxed attitude about time is another example of Eastern influence (Khallouk, 2008). In Morocco, time is flexible, and strict punctuality is not a part of daily life, even in business, like it would be in a Western country like the United States (Khallouk, 2008). Finally, Islam has deep roots in Morocco, leading to another set of cultural and religious values that, while not distinctly Eastern or Western, tend to be more in conflict with Western values and, therefore, more in line with Eastern values (Khallouk, 2008).

On the other hand, many European countries like Spain and France have laid claim to Morocco at one time or another, leading to many Western cultural traits (Montagne, 1948). For example, Moroccan society is patriarchal (Khallouk, 2008). Though this is common in many countries, there is an extreme patriarchy in the United States, with the divide between men and women being more extreme than in other countries. One interesting part of the separation between Eastern and Western cultures in Morocco is that each individual’s understanding of their society is determined by how they were raised and their own preferences (Khallouk, 2008). The cultural understandings replicate each other, because families that see themselves as more Western tend to be more focused on financial gain, which gives them resources to send their children to Westernized schools, which teaches the children Western values. On the other hand, a family that is more focused on Eastern values is likely to stay together and better themselves collectively and in ways that are not solely monetary.

Morocco’s cultural values are pretty evenly divided between Eastern and Western values. However, I would say that there are certain traits of Western culture that are going to continue to grow in popularity, such as personal freedoms and a sense of self. As a result, the Eastern aspects of Moroccan culture might lessen over time. That isn’t to say that Eastern cultures are bad, just that Western cultures seem to be on the rise and more “popular” with younger generations, which will lead to larger cultural shifts.

Please check out the four links below and the pictures to get a better idea of East and West in Morocco.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mo.html

https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/overview/morocco-continues-mix-diverse-cultures-and-modernise-state

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/morocco/1948-01-01/morocco-between-east-and-west

http://www.aui.ma/personal/~Sa.Khallouk/moroccanculture.htm