Julia Clancy-Smith's unprecedented study brings us a remarkable view of North African history from the perspective of the North Africans themselves. Focusing on the religious beliefs and political actions of Muslim elites and their followers in Algeria and Tunisia, she provides a richly detailed analysis of resistance and accommodation to colonial rule.

Clancy-Smith demonstrates the continuities between the eras of Turkish and French rule as well as the importance of regional ties among elite families in defining Saharan political cultures. She rejects the position that Algerians and Tunisians were invariably victims of western colonial aggression, arguing instead that Muslim notables understood the outside world and were quite capable of manipulating the massive changes occurring around them.

Julia A. Clancy-Smith is Associate Professor of History at the University of Virginia.

"A truly momentous contribution to our understanding of North African history that is gracefully written, analytically rigorous, and deeply moving."—MESA Bulletin

"Clancy-Smith's tolerance for ambiguity has given us a model history that moves from the world to the local stage, across the varieties of Islamic belief and organization, encompassing all the concerned parties including the common people and the women saints, making documents, rumors, tales, and poetry all the stuff of their learned, complicated, and revealing story."—American Historical Review

"A very fine book—contemporary and sophisticated without being trendy."—R. Steven Humphreys, author of Islamic History: A Framework for Inquiry

Winner, Alf Andrew Heggoy Prize of the French Colonial Historical Society
Winner, 1995 Phi Alpha Theta Book Award of the Phi Alpha Theta International Honor Society in History
Honorable Mention in the Albert Hourani Book Award competition, Middle East Studies Association of North America