Collective Cohabitation: From Confrontation to Negotiation

(A Sociological Approach to Neighborhoods Benefiting from the State's Policy to Eradicate Precarious Housing)

Abstract

Through a field study conducted in one of the largest urban agglomerations in the city of Meknes, our aim was to provide a sociological understanding of shared housing within this urban model. This was achieved by attempting to comprehend and interpret the phenomenon of cohabitation as well as the social problems stemming from it, notably conflicts arising from diverse interests and needs, along with their overlaps. Additionally, we sought to understand how residents manage these conflicts by favoring a logic of negotiation over confrontation, highlighting communication elements rather than the causes of conflicts. All of this was done with the purpose of minimizing conflict intensity within this environment that acts somewhat like a microcosm of society, by establishing a local social contract. In our  study, we employed a qualitative approach, conducting several semi- structured interviews with a targeted sample of residents from the  "Bourge Moulay Omar" and "Ain chabbik" neighborhoods, chosen as models for areas benefiting from the state's policy to eradicate precarious housing. Our study concluded that shared housing is a site of various conflicts triggered by residential tensions and resulting disruptions, intermittently creating tensions among inhabitants. However, these conflicts are often overcome to enable harmonious coexistence, proposing the establishment of a local social contract based on negotiation.