Ahmed Boukouss was born in 1946 in the South of Morocco.  He is the President of IRCAM and previous was a higher education professor.  He has a PhD in the sciences of language from Saint-Denis University, Paris.

Published works:

1977. Langage et culture populaires au Maroc. Casablanca : Dar Al-Kitab

1995. Société, langues et cultures au Maroc. Rabat : Mohammed  V ^th University publications

1999. Dominance et différence : essais sur les enjeux symboliques. Casablanca : Le Fennec

2001. Alphabétisation et développement durable au Maroc. Rabat : Mohammed V ^th University publications (with Fatima Agnaou)

2004. L'amazighe dans la politique linguistique et culturelle du Maroc. Rabat : Tarik Ibn Ziyad Centre publications

2009. Phonologie de l'amazighe. Rabat : IRCAM publications.

Interests:  Sociolinguistics, linguistics, education, cultural policy, cultural rights

Abstract of Ahmed Boukouss' Presentation

The Amazigh Issue in Morocco 

The promotion of Amazigh culture is one of many colossal projects that are being implemented in Morocco today, along with political democratization, the promotion of human rights, women's status, and human development, and educational, judicial, and religious reform.  The Amazigh question has been raised by civil society and intellectuals in Morocco since the 1960s, focusing on issues of equity, human rights, and sustainable development, along with the political management of linguistic and cultural diversity.  The creation of the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture (IRCAM) in 2001 represented a new government cultural policy responding to these social expectations with regard to linguistic and cultural rights.  The central thrust of this policy is to promote Amazigh culture in the fields of education, the media, and in society in general at the national, regional, and local levels.  The promotion of Amazigh culture is implemented in the same manner as other Moroccan public policies, with the usual varying results in terms of efficacy.  However, there is no doubt that the Amazigh situation has notably developed over the last few years.  This development contributes to the picture of Morocco as a country moving ahead on the path of democracy and respect for human rights.