Political Orientations in the Union nationale des étudiants du Maroc (UNEM). Nationalism, Internationalism, and the Left, up to the Islamist Shift (1956–1995)

This contribution aims to trace the development of the Union Nationale des Étudiants du Maroc (UNEM), the major actor in the Moroccan student movement, over its first four decades. Established in the immediate post-independence period under the auspices of the Istiqlāl Party, UNEM was influenced by different prevailing and polarizing orientations, namely left radicalism and political Islam. This contribution explores the specific role played by UNEM in the Moroccan political landscape and sheds light on its influential international network. Drawing on a variety of hitherto unexplored primary sources in Arabic and French, the contribution argues that control of UNEM was a crucial factor for the affirmation of both the leftist and Islamist extra-parliamentary movements in the Moroccan political arena.