The Sociology of Education in Morocco: Issues of Research, Teaching, and Epistemological Identity

This article sheds light on the educational question in the evolution of sociological practice in Morocco over the last half-century. The cradle of sociology in Morocco is associated with the decolonisation objectives of the Moroccan social sciences (practice and knowledge) and the attention paid to the rural world and agricultural issues. As a result, issues of education and schooling were treated as secondary issues in a preoccupation with the transformations of the Moroccan rural world (Paul Pascon) and with women's studies (Fatima Mernissi). The low representation of the sociology of education, research and teaching at the university and in research centres in Morocco led to a "displacement" of this discipline to teacher training centres within the branch of "sciences of education". However, this has created an identity crisis and a problematic institutionalisation for the sociology of education and the school for decades, despite the consideration given to it at the Moroccan university in recent years.