Spain in Northern Morocco: Colonial Memory and Legacy

Spain’s colonial past in Northern Morocco, from its onset on November 27, 1912, until Spain’s Protectorate there was formally abolished on April 7, 1956, plays an ambivalent role in the postcolonial memories of both Morocco and Spain. The commemorations of the centennial of the establishment of the Protectorate in 1912 and of the defeat of the Spanish at Annual in 1921 were restricted to the sphere of academia, despite the enormous influence of that colonialism on the histories of Spain and Morocco and on their postcolonial relations. These relations culminated in such events as the Spanish Civil War and the participation of Moroccans from the subaltern population in the conflict and in many other wars, interactions, and mutual stereotypes. This colonialism has been softened by a long Africanist tradition that has spoken of brotherhood, racial community, proximity, and the erasure of subordinations and contradictions. The memories held by Spanish civilians who lived in Morocco reflect this image of a past that seems to bracket colonialism. From the Moroccan side, memories of the colonial past are also full of contradictions: opposing visions, myths of resistance, and glances of paradoxical longing owing to disappointment with the independent state or the postcolonial effects of the construction of a material and symbolic border between the former Spanish Protectorate and the rest of Morocco.