Transition vers l’âge adulte et trajectoires d’individualisation. Une analyse des «modernités» à travers le cas du Maroc

Abstract

The Western sociological thought has conceived “individuals” as the product of Modernity. Indeed, the category of individual is placed at the core of the transition from the traditional social order to the modern one. Taking as a subject of analysis a set of sociological studies led by prominent scholars on the condition of young people living in urban Morocco, we investigate the transition to adulthood as a strategy of individualisation. The question is: how to think about the category of individual in a society where modernisation processes follow different paths as compared to the Occidental modernity? Nowadays, Morocco is going through a period of historical transition where especially young generations are developing new lifestyles through their private and public conducts. The Moroccan young adult becomes an example of a distinctive way of being individual-in-society which produces different paths of modernisation, linking together a “traditional” legacy with “modern” scenarios.