For long dismissed as a disparate series of tribal groups destined to disappear with the growth of modern nation states, the Berbers have recently re-emerged in the public eye. The Tuareg in Mali are in full revolt, while Kabyle political parties have made substantial electoral gains. With this has come a cultural revival, contributing to a growing body of Berber literature and music. However, though there are many detailed anthropological studies, there has been no general study of the Berbers available in the English language. This book gives a detailed historical account of the Berber peoples from pre-history to the present day, and also providing an anthropological survey of the Berbers in the modern world. It should help dispel the general ignorance of the Berbers found in the English-speaking world, and should be of interest to students, scholars and the general public.
The Berbers is the first attempt by English scholars to provide a comprehensive overview of the history of the Berber-speaking peoples. From the first appearance of humans in the Maghreb, through the rise of the formidable Berber kingdoms of Numidia and Mauretania, the book traces the origins of the distinct characteristics of these disparate peoples, regarded as the indigenous inhabitants of North Africa. In examining, too, the responses to external overlords, whether Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Turks, or, most recently, European imperial powers, the authors indicate the importance for the various Berber communities of such factors as language, tradition, social organization and geographical location. The book also covers the role of religion and trade as forces of social change in North Africa.
The authors draw on a wide range of sources, from archaeology and history, to anthropology and literature. In showing the Berber-speaking peoples in their immediate social environments, the book explains how they retained a range of traditional systems of organization alongside those of the dominant cultures. The Berbers will thus help the reader to appreciate the Berber past and to understand their present.
