The Use of Metaphors in Moroccan Political Struggle
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.57125/FS.2026.06.20.12Keywords:
Metaphor, Political Discourse، public opinion, ideology, framing, 3ayash, 3adamiyin.Abstract
Metaphors have been widely used in Moroccan political discourse. They function not only as linguistic devices through which politicians convey meanings, ideologies, and viewpoints, but also as rhetorical weapons employed to undermine opponents and impose particular political perspectives. This study aims to explore how metaphors are used in the Moroccan context and to uncover their role in shaping political discourse and influencing public perception.
References
Ben Shrif, K. (2017). Al-ʿAyyasha: Baltajiyyat al-Maghrib alladhina yuhaddidun silmiyyat hirak al-Rif [The ʿAyyacha: Morocco's thugs who threaten the peacefulness of the Rif movement]. UltraSawt. https://www.ultrasawt.com/
Charbati, Y. (2018). A study on democracy metaphors in Moroccan King Mohammed VI inaugural speeches. Asian Journal of Humanity, Art and Literature, 5(1), 45–54.
Charteris-Black, J. (2011). Politicians and rhetoric: The persuasive power of metaphor. Palgrave Macmillan.
Charteris-Black, J. (2018). Analysing political speeches: Rhetoric, discourse and metaphor (2nd ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.
Chilton, P. (2018). Political discourse analysis: Theoretical and methodological approaches. In J. Flowerdew & J. E. Richardson (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of critical discourse studies (pp. 75–90). Routledge.
Elinson, A. (2013). Looking back at the Arab Spring: Morocco's political system and reform. The Journal of North African Studies, 18(4), 523–534. https://doi.org/10.1080/13629387.2013.838350
Flusberg, S. J., Matlock, T., & Thibodeau, P. H. (2021). War metaphors in public discourse. Metaphor and Symbol, 36(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926488.2021.1873375
Glucksberg, S. (2001). Understanding figurative language: From metaphors to idioms. Oxford University Press.
Hadouch, Z. (2017). ʿAsha yaʿish [Long live]. Hespress. https://www.hespress.com/عاش-يعيش-365906.html
Hart, C. (2018). Cognitive linguistics and critical discourse analysis: Concepts and theory. Cambridge University Press.
Hasan, Z., Amin, R. F., & Mirwan. (2026). Metaphors we think by: Conceptual metaphors in the architecture of modern ideologies (liberalism, Marxism, fascism). Hikamatzu Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 3(1), 25–40.
Hellsten, I. (2002). The politics of metaphor: Towards a theory of metaphorical framing in the media. In E. Weigand & M. Dascal (Eds.), Negotiation and power in dialogic interaction (pp. 119–140). John Benjamins.
Hespress FR. (2019, March 10). Akhannouch appelle depuis Madrid à combattre la vision nihiliste prônée par certains. https://fr.hespress.com/55244-akhannouch-appelle-depuis-madrid-a-combattre-la-vision-nihiliste-pronee-par-certains.html
Joseph, J. E. (2006). Language and politics. Edinburgh University Press.
Koller, V. (2022). Metaphor and ideology in political discourse. In E. Semino & Z. Demjén (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of metaphor and language (pp. 341–356). Routledge.
Kövecses, Z. (2010). Metaphor: A practical introduction (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Lakoff, G. (1996). Moral politics: What conservatives know that liberals don't. University of Chicago Press.
Lakoff, G. (2004). Don't think of an elephant! Know your values and frame the debate. Chelsea Green.
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. University of Chicago Press.
Landau, M. J., Sullivan, D., & Greenberg, J. (2019). The power of metaphor: Examining its influence on social life. American Psychological Association.
Le360. (2019, December 8). Bil-fidiyu: Akhannouch yadʿu min Milano ila qatʿ al-tariq ʿala "al-ʿadamiyyin" wa-"al-zalamiyyin" [Video: Akhannouch calls from Milan to cut off the path of the "nihilists" and "obscurantists"]. https://ar.le360.ma/politique/158322
Maghreb Times. (2025, April 17). Bil-fidiyu min al-Doha… Aharchan yasif "al-ʿAyyacha" bi-"al-baltajiyya wa-l-shabbiha" [Video from Doha: Aharchan describes the "ʿAyyacha" as "thugs and shabiha"]. https://maghrebtimes.ma/2025/04/17/
Musolff, A. (2016). Political metaphor analysis: Discourse and scenarios. Bloomsbury.
Musolff, A. (2021). National conceptualisations of the body politic: Cultural experience and political imagination. Springer.
Pérez, E. O., & Tavits, M. (2019). Language influences mass opinion toward gender and LGBT equality. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(34), 16781–16786. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1908156116
Santa Ana, O. (2002). Brown tide rising: Metaphors of Latinos in contemporary American public discourse. University of Texas Press.
Semino, E. (2008). Metaphor in discourse. Cambridge University Press.
Semino, E. (2021). "Not soldiers but fire-fighters": Metaphors and COVID-19. Health Communication, 36(1), 50–58. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1844985
Thibodeau, P. H. (2020). The role of metaphor in political cognition. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 29(2), 194–199. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721420904885
van Dijk, T. A. (1997). Discourse as structure and process. SAGE.
van Dijk, T. A. (2018). Discourse and power (2nd ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 author

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.