Routledge Library Editions: North Africa – serie

This book by a group of international scholars, both Arab and Western, was first published in 1985, and considers the state of contemporary North Africa and its position both in the Arab world and within wider international affairs. It examines the cultural and historical contexts which have shaped political and social conditions within the region. It also considers the nature of intra-regional conflict which has long been a feature of the North African political scene. The sociological impact of economic development within the region is treated at length, as are the changing positions of both the traditional elites and new groups such as women workers.

This book by a group of international scholars, both Arab and Western, was first published in 1985, and considers the state of contemporary North Africa and its position both in the Arab world and within wider international affairs. It examines the cultural and historical contexts which have shaped political and social conditions within the region. It also considers the nature of intra-regional conflict which has long been a feature of the North African political scene. The sociological impact of economic development within the region is treated at length, as are the changing positions of both the traditional elites and new groups such as women workers.

The once numerous and vital Jewish communities of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia have disappeared, succumbing during the past century to the assimilating temptations of French culture, or, more recently, to the pressures of migration. Only the two communities of the island of Jerba still remain. Only they have succeeded in maintaining and reproducing their religious and social institutions, in adjusting to the new realities around them while preserving intact their cultural, communal identity. This lavishly-illustrated book, first published in 1984, portrays the life and history of two Jerban Jewish villages and explores the paradoxes of their continuity. How and why are they so fully Jewish while, at the same time, so thoroughly embedded in their Muslim, North African environment? Although its focus is one small ethnic group, the implications of this study extend to the broad subject of relations between Arabs and Jews in modern times.

The once numerous and vital Jewish communities of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia have disappeared, succumbing during the past century to the assimilating temptations of French culture, or, more recently, to the pressures of migration. Only the two communities of the island of Jerba still remain. Only they have succeeded in maintaining and reproducing their religious and social institutions, in adjusting to the new realities around them while preserving intact their cultural, communal identity. This lavishly-illustrated book, first published in 1984, portrays the life and history of two Jerban Jewish villages and explores the paradoxes of their continuity. How and why are they so fully Jewish while, at the same time, so thoroughly embedded in their Muslim, North African environment? Although its focus is one small ethnic group, the implications of this study extend to the broad subject of relations between Arabs and Jews in modern times.

North Africa differs from the Middle East in several significant ways. It was subject to a uniform colonial experience as part of the French empire; its populations are far more culturally homogeneous than those of the Middle East; and, since the Reconquista, it has always been far more susceptible to European influences than has the Middle East. It has thus had a far better basis for regional integration and for effective state formation than has the Middle East itself. In the post-Cold War world, North Africa took on a new significance for Europe as issues of migration and regional trade began to dominate the European agenda. This book, first published in 1993, endeavours to investigate the background to the political developments of modern North Africa. It not only looks at the pre-colonial past but also investigates the effect of the colonial period itself on the regional dimension in view of the creation of the UMA, a confederal regional organisation, in early 1989. The contributors to this volume are all people with long experience of the North African political and historical scene.

North Africa differs from the Middle East in several significant ways. It was subject to a uniform colonial experience as part of the French empire; its populations are far more culturally homogeneous than those of the Middle East; and, since the Reconquista, it has always been far more susceptible to European influences than has the Middle East. It has thus had a far better basis for regional integration and for effective state formation than has the Middle East itself. In the post-Cold War world, North Africa took on a new significance for Europe as issues of migration and regional trade began to dominate the European agenda. This book, first published in 1993, endeavours to investigate the background to the political developments of modern North Africa. It not only looks at the pre-colonial past but also investigates the effect of the colonial period itself on the regional dimension in view of the creation of the UMA, a confederal regional organisation, in early 1989. The contributors to this volume are all people with long experience of the North African political and historical scene.

After over a century of intensive colonial rule and nearly eight years of revolutionary warfare, Algeria emerged in a state of total economic decrepitude and political backwardness. Yet in the two decades following independence in 1962 the country achieved a remarkable degree of political stability and economic growth. This book, first published in 1986, traces the shape of Algeria’s revolutionary experience through an analysis of the country’s culture, history, economy, politics, and foreign policy.

After over a century of intensive colonial rule and nearly eight years of revolutionary warfare, Algeria emerged in a state of total economic decrepitude and political backwardness. Yet in the two decades following independence in 1962 the country achieved a remarkable degree of political stability and economic growth. This book, first published in 1986, traces the shape of Algeria’s revolutionary experience through an analysis of the country’s culture, history, economy, politics, and foreign policy.

Beginning as a small, seemingly insignificant rebellion in 1954, the Algerian struggle for independence assumed such proportions that it strangled France’s foreign policy, threatened her international relations, poisoned the political atmosphere, and toppled one government after another. In this book, first published in 1963, a specialist on French affairs assesses the impact on France of the Algerian problem, the various attempts to solve that problem, and the implications of the solution finally found. It is a study of conflict, a careful consideration of the interaction between internal politics and a peculiarly difficult external problem – and, most of all, an objective and lucid presentation of the essential elements of a tragic episode in French history.

Beginning as a small, seemingly insignificant rebellion in 1954, the Algerian struggle for independence assumed such proportions that it strangled France’s foreign policy, threatened her international relations, poisoned the political atmosphere, and toppled one government after another. In this book, first published in 1963, a specialist on French affairs assesses the impact on France of the Algerian problem, the various attempts to solve that problem, and the implications of the solution finally found. It is a study of conflict, a careful consideration of the interaction between internal politics and a peculiarly difficult external problem – and, most of all, an objective and lucid presentation of the essential elements of a tragic episode in French history.

Beginning as a small, seemingly insignificant rebellion in 1954, the Algerian struggle for independence assumed such proportions that it strangled France’s foreign policy, threatened her international relations, poisoned the political atmosphere, and toppled one government after another. In this book, first published in 1963, a specialist on French affairs assesses the impact on France of the Algerian problem, the various attempts to solve that problem, and the implications of the solution finally found. It is a study of conflict, a careful consideration of the interaction between internal politics and a peculiarly difficult external problem – and, most of all, an objective and lucid presentation of the essential elements of a tragic episode in French history.