Gated communities and urban tribes in Fez Morocco as laboratories of urban glocalisation

Abstract This article demonstrates how gated communities in Fez function as arenas where global neoliberal logics of segregation intersect with vernacular repertoires of solidarity, producing hybrid “urban tribes.” Drawing on a dual framework of neoliberal segregation (H1) and tribal resurgence (H2), the study shows that these enclaves not only materialise socio-spatial hierarchies but also reinvent the jmaʿa as a form of neighbourhood governance. Based on qualitative fieldwork in three contrasting gated communities (upper-class, middle-class, and working-class), combining nine semi-structured interviews, ethnographic non-participant observation, and a morphological analysis of closure devices, the research identifies a dual dynamic: (i) selective territorialisation through the consumption of spatial and symbolic capital, and (ii) the reactivation of collective practices rooted in the jmaʿa , reconfigured to meet contemporary urban challenges. By situating these findings within Morocco’s preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2030, the article demonstrates that gated living in Fez is not an exceptional imitation of Western models but a paradigmatic case of urban glocalisation in the Global South. The contribution lies in showing how neoliberal logics of distinction and vernacular repertoires of solidarity intertwine, offering new theoretical insights into the fragmentation and hybridisation of postcolonial cities.