The Historical Dictionary of the Berbers

"The Historical Dictionary of the Berbers is a remarkable work. It is likely to become an indispensable instrument for all those interested in the past and present of a great people, the Imazighen (or the free), otherwise called Berbers by outsiders. Professor Hsain Ilahiane is uniquely qualified to bring forth their achievements."
Dr. Abdellah Hammoudi, Department of Anthropology, Princeton University.

Historical dictionary of the Berbers (Imazighen)
By Hsain Ilahiane

Publisher: Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press, Inc, 2006.
ISBN: 081085452X

The author is associate professor of anthropology at Iowa State University.



From the publisher:

Berbers are the ancient inhabitants of North Africa, but rarely have they formed an actual kingdom or separate nation state. Ranging anywhere between 15-50 million, depending on how they are classified, the Berbers have influenced the culture and religion of Roman North Africa and played key roles in the spread of Islam and its culture in North Africa, Spain, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Taken together, these dynamics have over time converted to redefine the field of Berber identity and its socio-political representations and symbols, making it an even more important issue in the new century.Through the use of maps, a list of acronyms, a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, appendixes, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on significant persons, places, events, institutions, and aspects of culture, society, economy and politics—past and present—the Historical Dictionary of the Berbers (Imazighen) provides necessary information on this under-studied group of people.

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