Transnational student activism: the National Union of Moroccan Students (NUMS) and the Arab Spring movements

University students were a key force in commencing Arab Spring protests and toppling several political leaders in the Arab world. The protests in Morocco were more peaceful than in Tunisia, Libya, Yemen and Syria with some vociferous slogans that the government had swiftly addressed. Students, during and after the Arab Spring, have formed strong unions with activist orientation within universities and beyond, but they remain a marginal voice in shaping national politics after the social and political unrest (e.g. revoking regimes) they contributed to. By drawing on email interviews with 25 student leaders this article explores transnational aspects of the National Union of Moroccan Students' (NUMS) ((sic) (sic) (sic) (sic)) activism to unpack the link between the Arab Spring (as wider regional protests/context) and contemporary (national) student activism in Morocco. Findings reveal that NUMS's activism has been committed to disrupting the wider economic, social and political inequalities. However, students expressed uncertainty about the concrete impact of their activism on shaping national policies. Findings suggest that transnational activism is bound by its spatial and temporal conditions in national contexts and tends to be re-negotiated through a complex interweaving of local sociopolitical factors (e.g. state's precautionary measures), censorship, ideologies and activist flexibility.