What accounts for the impressive longevity of the monarchy in Morocco? Since the ninth century, sultans and kings have monopolized power and held the levers of command in that northwest African state. In this collection of articles, a distinguished group of scholars from the United States and Morocco use the institution of the monarchy as the starting point for reexamining the various constituents of political authority in Morocco. Concentrating on symbolic representations as well as popular manifestations of power, the authors place in historical and social context a number of contentious issues engaging Moroccans today, such as political legitimacy, democratic pluralism, and human rights.