North Africa and the Making of Europe: Governance, Institutions and Culture

Review

“Because North Africa and the Making of Europe is so interdisciplinary, even the most seasoned Maghrebi or European specialists will find themselves pleasantly surprised by the wide range of synergies and syncretisms explored in this text, all of which have become inherently accepted as part of European identity. Most importantly, the text’s continuous efforts to reflect a Europe that is not other from North Africa, but is by necessity defined by its proximity and history with the region, is a needed voice in today’s environment of growing authoritarianism and nationalism on both sides of the Mediterranean.” – EuropeNow

Product Description

This innovative edited collection brings together leading scholars from the USA, the UK and mainland Europe to examine how European identity and institutions have been fashioned though interactions with the southern periphery since 1945. It highlights the role played by North African actors in shaping European conceptions of governance, culture and development, considering the construction of Europe as an ideological and politico-economic entity in the process.

Split up into three sections that investigate the influence of colonialism on the shaping of post-WWII Europe, the nature of co-operation, dependence and interdependence in the region, and the impact of the Arab Spring, North Africa and the Making of Europe investigates the Mediterranean space using a transnational, interdisciplinary approach. This, in turn, allows for historical analysis to be fruitfully put into conversation with contemporary politics. The book also discusses such timely issues such as the development of European institutions, the evolution of legal frameworks in the name of antiterrorism, the rise of Islamophobia, immigration, and political co-operation.

Students and scholars focusing on the development of postwar Europe or the EU's current relationship with North Africa will benefit immensely from this invaluable new study.

About the Author

Muriam Haleh Davis is Assistant Professor of History at the University of California, Santa Cruz, USA.

Thomas Serres is Lecturer in Politics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, USA.