Identity in crisis: Power, agency, and subjugation in the small stories of the Moroccan diaspora in Spain

Abstract

Research regarding migrant discourse and identities has recently focused on how migrants construct identities in narratives. However, these identities may be difficult to navigate as migrants encounter different linguistic and cultural practices as well as discrimination in their new home countries. In Spain, Moroccan migrants are framed as ‘outsiders’ and may experience discrimination because of their identities. In the current study, I examine how Moroccan immigrants living in Granada, Spain manage positions of agency and constraint in small story narratives to construct their identities. I argue that Moroccan immigrants may reinscribe positions of power and authority in service of their own agency positions which may constrain the agency of other migrants. More research must be conducted to determine the role of broader structures and dominant discourses that make such subjugation necessary for migrant identity negotiation.