Amazigh identity reshapes ideas of belonging in the United States

Monday 31 August 2026 - 10:10

By: Azzat Manal

Amazigh identity reshapes ideas of belonging in the United States

A new academic book published by New York University Press examines how Amazigh communities are redefining identity and belonging in the United States, while challenging conventional American perceptions of Africa, Indigenous peoples and Muslim communities.

Titled Amazigh Americans: Reframing Indigenous North African and Diasporic Belonging, the book is authored by anthropologist Heid Castañeda, a professor at the University of South Florida whose research has explored migration, mixed-status families and the experiences of immigrant communities.

The study focuses on the development of contemporary Amazigh awareness, the migration of North Africans to the United States and the ways Amazigh Americans have gradually established a presence within wider American society. It also examines questions of race, civic engagement, language, religion, gender and the complex connections maintained between North Africa and North America.

At the heart of the book is the experience of Amazigh migrants who often find themselves navigating several identities at once. A Moroccan living in the United States, for example, may be viewed primarily as Arab or Muslim, while also identifying as Amazigh and African. These overlapping identities can become particularly complex in an American social environment where racial and ethnic categories do not always reflect the diversity of North African societies.

The Amazigh population is spread across a broad area of North Africa and the Sahel, including Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mali and Niger, as well as parts of Egypt and the Canary Islands. The book explores how members of this diverse population negotiate their heritage while building communities thousands of kilometres away from their ancestral homelands.

According to the author, Amazigh Americans are challenging established assumptions about what it means to be African, Indigenous or Muslim in the United States. Their experiences demonstrate that migration cannot always be explained through simple ethnic or racial categories.

The study also highlights the difficulties surrounding migration and legal status. Amazigh migrants may encounter complex procedures involving family reunification and immigration programs such as the Diversity Visa lottery. At the same time, their search for recognition abroad can remain connected to historical experiences of marginalization in their countries of origin.

The book places particular emphasis on the impact of colonial divisions, postcolonial nationalism and Arabization policies on Amazigh identity. These historical factors continue to influence debates surrounding language, culture and political recognition across North Africa.

Another important aspect of the study is the transformation of Amazigh identity within the diaspora. Amazigh individuals and community organizations increasingly interact with international Indigenous rights movements and with political and cultural developments in North Africa, where Amazigh activists have long campaigned for greater linguistic, cultural and legal recognition.

This process has encouraged diaspora communities to develop new forms of belonging in the United States. Cultural associations, language initiatives and civic activities can provide spaces where Amazigh Americans preserve their heritage while simultaneously participating in American public life.

The study ultimately presents Amazigh identity as dynamic rather than fixed. For communities living between North African and American social environments, belonging can involve several histories, languages and cultural references at the same time.

By examining these experiences, the book contributes to a broader discussion about migration and identity in the United States. It also demonstrates how Amazigh Americans are questioning simplified representations of Africa and creating new ways of understanding heritage, citizenship and community in the contemporary diaspora.