Resisting urban polarization in a Spanish enclave in North Africa: activism among citizens of Muslim heritage in Ceuta

This paper examines Muslim agency in Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa and one of Europe’s southernmost borders. Inhabited by four cultures (Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Hindu), it is among Spain’s most segregated cities. Drawing on ethnographic work, the study analyzes urban space as a driver of participation. Contrary to classical urban sociology, which links civic participation to diversity and pre-existing social capital, Ceuta’s activism shows that civic energy can also emerge in isolated neighborhoods during moments of crisis marked by political polarization. This collective action, inspired by religion, seeks to create new forms of social class consciousness in a postcolonial context through a shared sense of belonging: the Ceutí (or Caballa) culture, a hybrid Mediterranean way of life that fosters coexistence among the four communities and legitimizes the compatibility between Islam and European citizenship.