Navigating Solidarity: Social Love and Queer Activism in Contemporary Morocco

This paper explores the evolving landscape of solidarity within contemporary Moroccan queer movements, emphasizing the role of social love as a transformative force in fostering cohesion and resilience. Drawing from the concept of love as an interstitial practice, this study highlights how Moroccan queer activists navigate social and political constraints to create alternative forms of collective action that challenge established norms.

By mapping these interstitial practices, the paper reveals how emotions such as hope and empathy drive acts of solidarity within queer communities, where love functions not merely as an affective bond but as a political strategy for resisting marginalization. Through a postcolonial lens, the study examines how these movements reclaim agency by redefining social love beyond Western and Eurocentric colonial heteronormative and patriarchal structures, thus challenging the “closed totality” of the prevailing moral order. The analysis draws on qualitative data from activist narratives and digital ethnography to uncover how expressions of social love forge new pathways for social change in a transglobal context.

This paper contributes to the discussion on social love and solidarity by showing how Moroccan queer movements embody an ethics of care that transcends conventional boundaries, promoting a dynamic process of mutual support and collective empowerment. By situating these practices within broader socio-emotional dynamics, the study offers insights into the methodological challenges and opportunities of researching solidarity in contexts where love serves as both an emotional and a strategic force for transformation.