Politics and Arabization: the evolution of postindependence North Africa

Soon after independence, Algeria, Morocco, & Tunisia instituted programs to Arabize schools, courts, & the bureaucracy. Four decades later, success in Arabization in Algeria, the most gallicized of the three countries, has been greatest. In postindependence Tunisia, whose native population is 100% Arabic-speaking, French presence has flourished. Morocco's linguistic situation, where French colonial influence was least, remains murky. Here, the primacy of politics in language planning is emphasized, & three sociopolitical variables are proposed for assessing four decades of North African language planning: (1) makeup of the political/economic elite, (2) consistency of ideological commitment to language planning, & (3) conflict between national development & traditional values. The history of North African Arabization language planning is reviewed, & it is concluded that factors (1) & (3) account for the vitality of French in Tunisia & Morocco, factor (2) has been the largest determinant of Arabization success in Algeria, & factor (3) best explains the ambiguous relationship of French & Arabic in Morocco. 18 References. Adapted from the source document.