Mediterraneans: North Africa and Europe in an Age of Migration, c. 1800–1900 (Volume 15)

California World History Library

by Julia Clancy-Smith

Today labor migrants mostly move south to north across the Mediterranean. Yet in the nineteenth century thousands of Europeans and others moved south to North Africa, Egypt, and the Levant. This study of a dynamic borderland, the Tunis region, offers the fullest picture to date of the Mediterranean before, and during, French colonialism. In a vibrant examination of people in motion, Julia A. Clancy-Smith tells the story of countless migrants, travelers, and adventurers who traversed the Mediterranean, changing it forever. Who were they? Why did they leave home? What awaited them in North Africa? And most importantly, how did an Arab-Muslim state and society make room for the newcomers? Combining fleeting facts, tales of success and failure, and vivid cameos, the book gives a groundbreaking view of one of the principal ways that the Mediterranean became modern.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Africa

468 pages, Hardcover

First published November 4, 2010

Reviews

[Caroline Petruzzi McHale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learned so much in this book... the concept of "border crossers", the smuggling economy and the way that geography can shape identity and experience in a way that is much more powerful than nationalism. I would really love to time-travel back to La Goulette during the mid-nineteenth century (la petite Sicile de Tunisie)!

[Grant Turnage · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an informative read. The history of migrations is sort of a new field and Dr. Clancy-Smith does a great job of taking the reader to North Africa. There are first-hand accounts of so many different things taking place in the region and Clancy-Smith does a great job of telling stories but also asking questions. Her questions really get the reader to think about more than what they are reading. Overall, it was an informative read that shed light on the region and migration.

and yes...she was one of my professors at the University of Arizona