This book by a group of international scholars, both Arab and Western, was first published in 1985, and considers the state of contemporary North Africa and its position both in the Arab world and within wider international affairs. It examines the cultural and historical contexts which have shaped political and social conditions within the region. It also considers the nature of intra-regional conflict which has long been a feature of the North African political scene. The sociological impact of economic development within the region is treated at length, as are the changing positions of both the traditional elites and new groups such as women workers.

Part 1. The Maghrib: Between the West and East 1. Double Criticism: the Decolonization of Arab Sociology Abdelkebir Khatibi 2. Political Dynamics of the Maghrib: the Cultural Dialectic I. William Zartman 3. US-Maghribi Relations: Model or Muddle? L. Carl Brown 4. Arab-Western Polarities: a Content Analysis Study of the Tunisian Journal Al-Fikr Halim Barakat Part 2. Intra-Regional Conflicts 5. Evolution of the Maghrib Concept: Facts and Perspectives Mohamed Abed Jabri 6. Historical Influences on Intra-Regional Relations in the Maghrib John Ruedy 7. The Political Economy of North African Relations: Cooperation or Conflict? John P. Entelis 8. The Western Sahara Dispute as a Source of Regional Conflict in North Africa John Damis Part 3. Structural Changes 9. States and Regimes in the Maghrib Elbaki Hermessi 10. New Directions in Interpreting North African Society Dale F. Eickelman 11. The Industrialization of Algeria: an Overview Mahfoud Bennoune 12. Women's Work: Religious and Scientific Concepts as Political Manipulation in Dependent Islam Fatima Mernissi Part 4. Cultural Dynamics 13. The New Cultural and Imaginative Discourse in Morocco: Utopic Change Mohamed Berrada 14. The Plurality of the One Mohammed Bennis