North Africa: A History from Antiquity to the Present

by Phillip C. Naylor

Overview

North Africa has been a vital crossroads throughout history, serving as a connection between Africa, Asia, and Europe. Paradoxically, however, the region's historical significance has been chronically underestimated. In a book that may lead scholars to reimagine the concept of Western civilization, incorporating the role North African peoples played in shaping "the West," Phillip Naylor describes a locale whose transcultural heritage serves as a crucial hinge, politically, economically, and socially. Ideal for novices and specialists alike, North Africa begins with an acknowledgment that defining this area has presented challenges throughout history. Naylor's survey encompasses the Paleolithic period and early Egyptian cultures, leading readers through the pharonic dynasties, the conflicts with Rome and Carthage, the rise of Islam, the growth of the Ottoman Empire, European incursions, and the postcolonial prospects for Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and Western Sahara. Emphasizing the importance of encounters and interactions among civilizations, North Africa maps a prominent future for scholarship about this pivotal region.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780292778788
Publisher:	University of Texas Press
Publication date:	12/03/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

PHILLIP C. NAYLOR is Associate Professor of History at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he directed the Western Civilization program. His previous books include The Historical Dictionary of Algeria and France and Algeria: A History of Decolonization and Transformation.

Table of Contents

List of Maps ix

A Note to the Reader xi

Preface xiii

Introduction 1

1 Ancient North Africa and Its Expansive Civilizations 15

2 Rome and North Africa 35

3 Medieval North Africa From the Arrival of Islam to the Berber Empires 57

4 The Almoravid and the Almohad Empires and Their Successor States 89

5 Turkish Ascendance and Moroccan Independence 109

6 European Colonialism in North Africa 141

7 The Decolonization of North Africa 168

8 Post-Colonial and Contemporary North Africa Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia 193

9 Post-Colonial and Contemporary North Africa Algeria, Morocco, and Western Sahara 215

Conclusion The Peril and Promise of North Africa 247

Notes 253

Glossary 305

Bibliography 311

Index 339

What People are Saying About This

John Entelis

Naylor's approach is innovative, his research thorough and balanced, and, most importantly, he exhibits an exceptional empathy for the peoples and cultures of the region whose history remains little understood in the United States. This is a work of exceptional insight that deserves the widest circulation possible.
— John Entelis, Professor of Political Science and Director, Middle East Studies Program, Fordham University

John Entelis

"Naylor’s approach is innovative, his research thorough and balanced, and, most importantly, he exhibits an exceptional empathy for the peoples and cultures of the region whose history remains little understood in the United States. This is a work of exceptional insight that deserves the widest circulation possible."