The Amazigh uprising in the Libyan Arab spring and its subsequent impact on the community's sociopolitical struggle

This research examines the history of the Amazigh minority group in Libya under the regime of Muammar Al-Qaddafi and his policy against them, which prompted the 17th February Libyan revolution against his regime. Thus, the research looks at the aftermath of the revolution and the gains or losses of the Amazigh people under the
new Libya. Amazigh is one of the small non-Arab minority ethnic groups living in Libya, especially in the mountain of Nafusa and several other areas around the country. The objectives of the study are to examine the history of the Amazigh group in Libya, and to identify Muammar Al-Qaddafi’s regime towards the Amazigh, which made them revolt against him and determine the achievements of the Amazigh after the Arab Spring revolution in Libya. The study focuses on the Amazigh under the rule of Muammar Al-Qaddafi (1969-2011) and the period after his reign. The research utilized qualitative methods, where both primary and secondary sources are used, to gather data and conduct interviews. The primary sources mainly consist of archival reports, documents, and personal records. Data from the secondary sources, which are
library-based, include contemporary publications, past researches, newspapers, and magazines. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 Amazigh people. Participants were selected based on purposive sampling. The interview questions consisted of twelve questions, which were distributed to suit the research objectives and questions. Findings from the data demonstrated Muammar Al-Qaddafi's treatment towards the Amazigh, which was influenced by the Arabian dictatorship policy, and was marked by marginalization, ill-treatment, humiliation and injustice. These had
negatively impacted the Amazigh. As a result, the Amazigh provided various supports for the success of the revolution against him when it erupted. Relative Deprivation theory is used to highlight the denial of rights and marginalization that the Amazigh endured in Libya during the Qaddafi regime. The essential point is that people who
feel relatively deprived, as the Amazigh, would soon feel unhappy and under these circumstances, such disadvantaged people could become active agents of social and political movements for change.