A 1980s Déjà -Vu: Muslim Activism, Citizenship, and Nativist Narratives in Europe

It is counterintuitive that to understand current developments in constructions of nationalism and anti-immigrant sentiments in Europe today we would be advised to look at North Africa, at the Spanish colonial outposts of Melilla and Ceuta and what happened there in the 1980s. Ceuta and Melilla have been perceived as peripheral exceptions, as uncomfortable legacies of a colonial past only relevant insofar they could undermine diplomatic and good-neighborly relations with Morocco, one of the current gatekeepers of EU borders. I argue that Ceuta and Melilla have been microcosms of the challenges connected with migration and cultural diversity Europe is experiencing today. Looking at how ethnic Europeans experimented with and ultimately discarded nativist ideals, how Muslim Melillans became active citizens rather than tolerated foreigners, and how Muslim women negotiated their rights while avoiding the traps of gendered Islamophobia shows an alternative way of migrant and minority incorporation with relevant historical lessons for Europe today.