Saharan frontiers space and mobility in Northwest Africa

The Sahara has long been portrayed as a barrier that divides the Mediterranean world from Africa proper and isolates the countries of the Maghrib from their southern and eastern neighbors. Rather than viewing the desert as an isolating barrier, this volume takes up historian Fernand Braudel's d...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: McDougall, James
Other Authors: Scheele, Judith
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Bloomington, IN Indiana University Press 2012, 2012
Series:Public cultures of the Middle East and North Africa
Subjects:
Online Access:
Collection: JSTOR Books - Collection details see MPG.ReNa
Description
Summary:The Sahara has long been portrayed as a barrier that divides the Mediterranean world from Africa proper and isolates the countries of the Maghrib from their southern and eastern neighbors. Rather than viewing the desert as an isolating barrier, this volume takes up historian Fernand Braudel's description of the Sahara as "the second face of the Mediterranean." The essays recast the history of the region with the Sahara at its center, uncovering a story of densely interdependent networks that span the desert's vast expanse. They explore the relationship between the desert's "islands" and "shores" and the connections and commonalities that unite the region. Contributors draw on extensive ethnographic and historical research to address topics such as trade and migration; local notions of place, territoriality, and movement; Saharan cities; and the links among ecological, regional, and world-historical approaches to understanding the Sahara
Physical Description:ix, 291 pages maps
ISBN:0253001315
9780253001313