{"product_id":"inventing-the-berbers-history-and-ideology-in-the-maghrib-9780812225242","title":"Inventing the Berbers: History and Ideology in the Maghrib","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e The Berbers were not recognized as a distinct group before the Arabs conquered northwest Africa in the seventh century. Inventing the Berbers examines the emergence of the Berbers as a distinct category in early Arabic texts and explores how later Arabic sources imagined the Berbers as a people and the Maghrib as their home. The Kitāb al- ibar of Ibn Khaldūn (d. 1406) is key to Rouighi's understanding of the medieval phenomenon of the berberization of North Africa and its reverberations in the modern world. \u003c\/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat\u003c\/strong\u003e: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLength\u003c\/strong\u003e: 272 pages\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublication date\u003c\/strong\u003e: 15 February 2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher\u003c\/strong\u003e: University of Pennsylvania Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBefore the Arabs conquered northwest Africa in the seventh century, Ramzi Rouighi asserts, there were no Berbers. There were Moors (Mauri), Mauretanians, Africans, and many tribes and tribal federations such as the Leuathae or Musulami; and before the Arabs, no one thought that these groups shared a common ancestry, culture, or language. Certainly, there were groups considered barbarians by the Romans, but Barbarian, or its cognate, Berber, was not an ethnonym, nor was it exclusive to North Africa. Yet today, it is common to see studies of the Christianization or Romanization of the Berbers, or of their resistance to foreign conquerors like the Carthaginians, Vandals, or Arabs. Archaeologists and linguists routinely describe proto-Berber groups and languages in even more ancient times, while biologists look for Berber DNA markers that go back thousands of years. Taking the pervasiveness of such anachronisms as a point of departure, Inventing the Berbers examines the emergence of the Berbers as a distinct category in early Arabic texts and probes the ways in which later Arabic sources, shaped by contemporary events, imagined the Berbers as a people and the Maghrib as their home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKey both to Rouighi's understanding of the medieval phenomenon of the berberization of North Africa and its reverberations in the modern world is the Kitāb al-ibar of Ibn Khaldūn (d. 1406), the third book of which purports to provide the history of the Berbers and the dynasties that ruled in the Maghrib. As translated into French in 1858, Rouighi argues, the book served to establish a racialized conception of Berber indigenousness for the French colonial powers who erected a fundamental opposition between the two groups thought to constitute the native populations of North Africa, Arabs and Berbers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRouighi's analysis of the Kitāb al-ibar reveals that the book's authors, Ibn Khaldūn and his collaborators, were deeply influenced by the prevailing racial ideologies of their time. They viewed the Berbers as a distinct and inferior race, characterized by their physical features, language, and customs. This racialized perspective was reflected in the book's description of the Berbers as \"savages\" and \"barbarians\" who were incapable of civilization and needed to be brought under the control of the Arab conquerors.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRouighi argues that the Kitāb al-ibar's portrayal of the Berbers as inferior was not only a reflection of the authors' racial ideologies but also a tool for justifying the Arab conquest of North Africa. By portraying the Berbers as primitive and uncivilized, the book helped to legitimize the Arab's claim to the land and to justify their treatment of the Berbers as second-class citizens.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHowever, Rouighi also points out that the Kitāb al-ibar's portrayal of the Berbers was not entirely accurate. While the Berbers did have their own unique culture and language, they were not necessarily inferior to the Arabs. In fact, the Berbers had a rich history of civilization and had contributed significantly to the development of the Arab world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRouighi's analysis of the Kitāb al-ibar reveals that the book's authors were influenced by a variety of sources, including Greek and Roman literature, Arab geography, and local Berber traditions. They also drew on their own experiences and observations of the Berbers to create their portrayal of the group.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDespite the Kitāb al-ibar's portrayal of the Berbers as inferior, Rouighi argues that the book's authors were not necessarily racist. They were simply reflecting the prevailing racial ideologies of their time and were trying to justify the Arab conquest of North Africa. However, Rouighi also points out that the book's portrayal of the Berbers was not entirely accurate and that the Berbers were not necessarily inferior to the Arabs.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn conclusion, Inventing the Berbers examines the emergence of the Berbers as a distinct category in early Arabic texts and probes the ways in which later Arabic sources, shaped by contemporary events, imagined the Berbers as a people and the Maghrib as their home. Rouighi's analysis of the Kitāb al-ibar reveals that the book's authors were deeply influenced by the prevailing racial ideologies of their time and used the book to justify the Arab conquest of North Africa. However, Rouighi also points out that the book's portrayal of the Berbers was not entirely accurate and that the Berbers were not necessarily inferior to the Arabs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeight\u003c\/strong\u003e: 428g\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimension\u003c\/strong\u003e: 151 x 229 x 21 (mm)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN-13\u003c\/strong\u003e: 9780812225242\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ramzi Rouighi","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":44095611863290,"sku":"9780812225242","price":24.98,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0522\/4297\/2845\/products\/1646122278702_book.jpg?v=1646742857","url":"https:\/\/shulphink.com\/products\/inventing-the-berbers-history-and-ideology-in-the-maghrib-9780812225242","provider":"Shulph Ink","version":"1.0","type":"link"}