Nationalism, identity and citizenship in the Western Sahara

This article explores the processes of development and naturalisation of the Saharawi national identity that emerged during the 1970s under the leadership of the Frente Polisario and argues that in order to understand the Western Sahara conflict it is necessary to analyse the hegemonic policies implemented by both the Polisario and Morocco. The article shows that in the areas under Polisario administration the Saharawi subjectivity is actively and effectively promoted by the institutional structure of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic. On the contrary, in the areas under Moroccan control the same Saharawi subjectivity promoted by the nationalists acts as a successful way of subverting the attempts to hegemonise Moroccan identity, or, in other words, as a destructive force undermining Rabat's efforts to normalise the situation in the ‘southern provinces’.