Honors Theses
Date of Award
2019
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Croft Institute for International Studies
First Advisor
Vivian Ibrahim
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
This study examines the informal institutions that govern the sāqiya and khettāra irrigation system in southeastern Morocco. I frame those institutions using literature concerning politics of irrigation, governing the commons, and North African political culture. While interviewing farmers in agricultural communities near the Morocco-Algeria border, five themes emerged as key aspects of sāqiya and khettāra governance: the definitions of irrigation communities, the methods of water distribution, the institutions for selecting leaders, and those leaders’ authorities and responsibilities. Institutional arrangements and management practices associated with those themes show that sāqiya and khettāra governance is rooted in the democratic values of consensus and consultation. The presence of indigenous democratic institutions in southeastern Moroccan farming communities contradicts scholars who claim an inherent incompatibility between North African culture and democratic institutions. The study also examines how grassroots irrigation institutions respond to social, economic and environmental challenges.
Recommended Citation
Chappell, John, "Sons of the Sāqiya: Grassroots Water Politics in Southeastern Morocco" (2019). Honors Theses. 1029.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/1029
Accessibility Status
Searchable text
Comments
A thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for completion of the Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies from the Croft Institute for International Studies and the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College.