Overview

Berbers, also known as Imazighen, are the ancient inhabitants of North Africa, but rarely have they formed an actual kingdom or separate nation state. Ranging anywhere between 15-50 million, depending on how they are classified, the Berbers have influenced the culture and religion of Roman North Africa and played key roles in the spread of Islam and its culture in North Africa, Spain, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Taken together, these dynamics have over time converted to redefine the field of Berber identity and its socio-political representations and symbols, making it an even more important issue in the 21st century. This second edition of Historical Dictionary of the Berbers contains a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 200 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, places, events, institutions, and aspects of culture, society, economy, and politics. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the Berbers.

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9781442281813

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Commonly called Berbers in English, the original inhabitants of North Africa refer to themselves as Imazighen, meaning `free people.' Having been of consequence to nearly every major Mediterranean empire since the ancient Egyptians, the Berbers have a long but often understudied history and presently are relegated to minority status in the numerous modern countries they inhabit. This work delves into the important people, places, events, and other aspects of Berber politics, culture, and religion across the centuries. The second edition comes 11 years after the first, and the author, anthropologist Ilahiane (Iowa State Univ.), has added 139 entries and expanded and/or revised many of the previous ones. Furthermore, he added several new appendixes to assist in contextualizing Berber history, language, culture, and religion. Other features include more than 20 maps, a chronology, and a nearly exhaustive bibliography that comprises roughly a third of the book. The Berbers' struggle for cultural rights and equality has been resurgent in recent years, making gains in North Africa since the Arab Spring, and this edition covers these events. This work is highly recommended for collections without earlier versions, and the substantive additions make it worthy of consideration for collections that possess the first edition. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Undergraduates and above; general readers. * CHOICE *

Author Information

Hsain Ilahiane is associate professor of anthropology at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.

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