PhD defence
Trade Unions in Morocco: National Unity, Political Struggle, and Trade Union Fragmentation in the Independent State, 1955-1978
- D. Paolini
- Date
- Tuesday 11 March 2025
- Time
- Location
-
Academy Building
Rapenburg 73
2311 GJ Leiden
Supervisor(s)
- Prof.dr. M.D. Bruijn
- Prof.dr. A. Baldinetti (University Of Perugia)
Summary
This PhD thesis explores the history of Moroccan trade unionism in the two decades that followed the country’s independence from France in March 1956. The research predominantly focuses on the period from the establishment of the Union Marocaine du Travail (UMT) in 1955 to the creation of Confédération Démocratique du Travail (CDT) in 1978. Filling an existing gap in the literature on both Moroccan contemporary history and Africa's labour history, the research closely examines the day-to-day interactions of the UMT, the monarchy, and the political parties, contextualizing the history of Morocco’s trade union movement within the main political events that marked the first two decades of the country's independence. Drawing on a wide range of different primary sources—including archival documentation of Moroccan unions, international union confederations, international labour organisations, and foreign diplomatic missions in Morocco—the research provides new insights into the complex and nuanced entanglement of trade unions with other external actors, exploring the extent to which trade unionism positioned itself as a powerful force able to challenge the hegemonic ambitions of those in power.
PhD dissertations
Approximately one week after the defence, PhD dissertations by Leiden PhD students are available digitally through the Leiden Repository, that offers free access to these PhD dissertations. Please note that in some cases a dissertation may be under embargo temporarily and access to its full-text version will only be granted later.
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