People of Salé: Tradition and Change in a Moroccan City, 1830-1930

There are at least three grounds on which this monograph can claim the attention of a wide scholarly and general audience. The first is method-Brown's intriguing use of anthropological field research as the core of a historical methodology. The second is his thematic focus on urban identity and self-consciousness: where it comes from, its role in the process of change, and its relation to the structures of urban life over time. The third is his concern with integrating larger national and in this case international dynamics into an urban history, an interaction that has frequently eluded analysis and even description. Brown's book has much to say about all of these general concerns and will readily engage readers who, like this reviewer, bring more curiosity than background to a monographic study of Islamic urbanization.

Contents:
Introduction ----
Part I. Market and town.
1. Along the crossroads ---
2. Within the walls ----
Part II. The fabric of society.
3. Categories and relationships ---
4. Saints and scholars ---
5. Religious practice and belief ---
6. Cultural tenacity ----
Part III. The disruption of economic life.
7. Free trade and imperialism ---
8. The impoverishment of the many ---
9. The enrichment of the few ----
Part IV. Reflections of and reactions to change.
10. A community in crisis ---
11. Reassertion of an identity ----
Conclusions.