Language Policy and Identity in Mauritania. El Hacen Moulaye Ahmed
Language Policy and
Identity in Mauritania
Language Policy and
Identity in Mauritania
Multilingual and
Multicultural Tensions
El Hacen Moulaye Ahmed
LEXINGTON BOOKS
Lanham • Boulder • New York • London
Published by Lexington Books
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Copyright © 2020 The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
Excerpts from El Hacen Moulaye Ahmed’s 2019 interview with Daoud Ould Ahmed Aicha reprinted with permission.
Excerpts from El Hacen Moulaye Ahmed’s 2019 interview with Mokhtar Sar reprinted with permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Available
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020933954
ISBN: 978-1-7936-1265-6 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN: 978-1-7936-1266-3 (electonric)
Contents
Notes on Translation and Transliteration
1 General Issues in Language Policy and Identity
3 Sociopolitical and Religious Portraits of Mauritania
4 Language Policy and Identity in Mauritania: Past and Present
5 Language Policy and Identity in Mauritania: A Contemporary Empirical Investigation
Appendix 1: Student Questionnaire
Appendix 2: Party Chairperson Interview
In the pioneer study, an attempt was made to investigate language policy and identity in Mauritania. In so doing, two methodologies were relied on. The data collected through consulting primary and secondary sources revealed that Mauritanians identified themselves mainly based on tribal and religious axes and were exposed to an Arabization policy before the independence. After the independence, however, ethnicity became mature and thus surfaced as a strong marker of identity as a result of the colonialist dividing policy. The Kwr, who were fully assimilated by the French, refused the governments’ implementation of Arabic in education as well as administration. As such, ethnic tensions over language policy characterized the postindependence period in Mauritania. The tensions consolidated the ethnic identity and weakened national one.
In order to unearth which identities and language policy the Mauritanians subscribe to in the present, we also carried out an empirical investigation. Another purpose was also to see if there is a relationship between the participants’ choice of language policy and their identities. In so doing, data were collected through means of questionnaire and interview, respectively, from 506 students and 2 chairpersons of political parties. The obtained results revealed that Mauritanian identity is mainly based on religion and nationalism. It was also found that ethnic identity is strong in Mauritania, yet it is stronger among the Kwr than the Bedan. Tribal and national identities were also more common among the Bedan than the Kwr. A reached conclusion was also that the preference of language policy is influenced by ethnic background. The Bedan disfavored French-Arabic language policy and favored Arabic and English-Arabic language policy. This was because they considered Arabic as the language of their identity and religion and French as the language of the colonizer. French also, they argued, is internationally unimportant in comparison with English. In contrast, the Kwr viewed Arabic as a threat to their identity. They favored everything French. They considered it as a protector of their identity, and some of them regarded it as part of their identity. Unlike the Bedan, they refused the increase of English at the expanse of French. They also opted for the current Arabic-French language policy.
To Adiba Bousfiha, I owe more than words could ever express. I am grateful for her astute comments and suggestions and for her genuine interest in my intellectual and personal development.
I am also grateful to Jana Hodges-Kluck, acquisition editor, for her insightful criticism, suggestions, comments, and constructive editing. She had marvelously facilitated and helped in assuring that the process of publishing the work went unhindered. Particular thank you and recognition go to Sydney Wedbush, assistant acquisition editor, for her invaluable support. Thanks go to all members of staff at Lexington Books.
I am eternally indebted to my parents, Moulay Ahmed Alaly and Al-Wezna Hanana for their constant love, support, and prayers. The work is dedicated also to my sister, Fatimetou Zahra, and my brothers, Alaly Sidi and Seidna Ali. I owe an inexpressible debt to my uncle, Moulaye Sidi, for his unwavering support.
Notes on Translation and Transliteration
For the convenience of the general reader, we cite in the running text only translated quotes when the original source is written in Arabic. When the original source, however, is in French both quotes (original and translated) are cited. Additionally, when a reference to Arabic title is required in text, we quote only the title of English translation. In the bibliography, however, the title of the original