Ammar El Morabet

Dr. Ammar El Morabet is a Professor at the Business School and Secretary-General of the University Institute of African, Euro-Mediterranean and Ibero-American Studies (IUEAEI) at Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco. His research focuses on public law, administrative litigation, migration governance, border studies, and African studies, with particular emphasis on the legal protection of foreigners, human rights, and Morocco’s migration policy. His work examines administrative judicial review, the relationship between borders and human dignity, and Morocco’s relations with Africa and the Sahel, contributing to broader discussions on migration, security, and regional cooperation. He has published on administrative justice, the legal protection of foreigners, and international human rights mechanisms, and regularly participates in international conferences and scholarly initiatives on African migration and geopolitical developments. Alongside his research, he has extensive experience in university teaching, academic administration, and international academic collaboration. He holds a Ph.D. in Public Law from Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco.

My scholarly work lies at the intersection of public law, migration studies, African studies, border governance, and human dignity, with a particular focus on Morocco as a crossroads of African mobility. As a PhD-holding scholar affiliated with Mohammed V University in Rabat, my research examines how legal and institutional frameworks shape migration, mobility, border governance, and the protection of migrants' rights in Morocco and within the broader African and Euro-African context. 

My doctoral research in Public Law examined judicial review of administrative measures relating to the entry and residence of foreigners in Morocco. This dissertation goes beyond a mere analysis of legal texts. It seeks to develop a balanced perspective that reconciles the legitimate exercise of state sovereignty in regulating migration with the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms, within the framework of the rule of law and good governance. This research led me to investigate broader questions concerning migration governance, administrative discretion, border control, human dignity, and the legal protection of migrants. I am currently interested in developing this research beyond the conventional Morocco-Europe framework by situating Morocco within wider African systems of mobility. 

Morocco occupies a distinctive position within African migration dynamics. It is simultaneously a country of origin, transit, destination, and return, while increasingly playing an important role in continental discussions concerning migration and mobility. My current research therefore explores Morocco's relations with West Africa and the Sahel, including historical and contemporary networks of mobility, cultural exchange, economic interaction, and human circulation. I am also interested in the relationship between migration, border governance, climate-related mobility, regional security, and human dignity. 

These interests intersect closely with the interdisciplinary mission of the Kansas African Studies Center. I am particularly interested in contributing a Moroccan and North African perspective to comparative African Studies and in examining African mobility not only through legal and policy frameworks but also through historical, social, political, and cultural perspectives. 

My interests would allow meaningful intellectual exchange with KU scholars whose research addresses North Africa, migration, mobility, African societies, identity, citizenship, and Africa-Europe relations. I would particularly welcome opportunities to consult with Professor Majid Hannoum, Professor Stacey Vanderhurst, and Professor Tyler Myroniuk, whose respective areas of scholarship provide valuable comparative perspectives for my research. 

My relationship with KASC has already begun through my participation in the Ujamaa Virtual Colloquium Series, where I presented my research, “Migration, Borders, and Human Dignity: Morocco as a Crossroads of African Mobility.” The Virtual Affiliate Program would provide an opportunity to transform this initial academic exchange into sustained scholarly engagement. 

As a virtual affiliate, I hope to contribute to KASC through research presentations, comparative research, academic dialogue, and future collaborative publications concerning African migration, mobility, borders, and human dignity. At the same time, access to KASC's scholarly community and research resources would enable me to deepen the comparative and interdisciplinary dimensions of my work. 

Ultimately, I seek to contribute to an interconnected understanding of African mobility that recognizes African agency, historical connections, contemporary regional dynamics, and the central importance of human dignity and legal protection.