Themes of ‘Othering’ in the Teams Story: Self-identity of the Moroccan Atlas Lions Soccer Team

This chapter examines the influence of the Moroccan soccer team’s performance in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar on the self-identity of Moroccans. Using memes and reels from social media as data, the analysis explores four themes of “othering” in the team’s story, including Siir (geographizing othering), Reda (nationalizing othering), Neya (culturalizing othering), and Sajada (Islamizing othering), leading to a strengthened sense of Dima Maghreb (Moroccan identity). The findings suggest that the formation of a strong Moroccan identity is an example of “empowered othering,” overcoming the damaging effects of postcolonial experiences such as exclusion, invisibility, and hypervisibility. The chapter also discusses the strengths and limitations of storytelling.