Divided Rule

Sovereignty and Empire in French Tunisia, 1881–1938

Nonfiction, History, Africa, World History
Cover of the book Divided Rule by Mary Dewhurst Lewis, University of California Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Mary Dewhurst Lewis ISBN: 9780520957145
Publisher: University of California Press Publication: September 27, 2013
Imprint: University of California Press Language: English
Author: Mary Dewhurst Lewis
ISBN: 9780520957145
Publisher: University of California Press
Publication: September 27, 2013
Imprint: University of California Press
Language: English

After invading Tunisia in 1881, the French installed a protectorate in which they shared power with the Tunisian ruling dynasty and, due to the dynasty’s treaties with other European powers, with some of their imperial rivals. This "indirect" form of colonization was intended to prevent the violent clashes marking France’s outright annexation of neighboring Algeria. But as Mary Dewhurst Lewis shows in Divided Rule, France’s method of governance in Tunisia actually created a whole new set of conflicts. In one of the most dynamic crossroads of the Mediterranean world, residents of Tunisia— whether Muslim, Jewish, or Christian—navigated through the competing power structures to further their civil rights and individual interests and often thwarted the aims of the French state in the process.

Over time, these everyday challenges to colonial authority led France to institute reforms that slowly undermined Tunisian sovereignty and replaced it with a more heavy-handed form of rule—a move also intended to ward off France's European rivals, who still sought influence in Tunisia. In so doing, the French inadvertently encouraged a powerful backlash with major historical consequences, as Tunisians developed one of the earliest and most successful nationalist movements in the French empire. Based on archival research in four countries, Lewis uncovers important links between international power politics and everyday matters of rights, identity, and resistance to colonial authority, while re-interpreting the whole arc of French rule in Tunisia from the 1880s to the mid-20th century. Scholars, students, and anyone interested in the history of politics and rights in North Africa, or in the nature of imperialism more generally, will gain a deeper understanding of these issues from this sophisticated study of colonial Tunisia.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

After invading Tunisia in 1881, the French installed a protectorate in which they shared power with the Tunisian ruling dynasty and, due to the dynasty’s treaties with other European powers, with some of their imperial rivals. This "indirect" form of colonization was intended to prevent the violent clashes marking France’s outright annexation of neighboring Algeria. But as Mary Dewhurst Lewis shows in Divided Rule, France’s method of governance in Tunisia actually created a whole new set of conflicts. In one of the most dynamic crossroads of the Mediterranean world, residents of Tunisia— whether Muslim, Jewish, or Christian—navigated through the competing power structures to further their civil rights and individual interests and often thwarted the aims of the French state in the process.

Over time, these everyday challenges to colonial authority led France to institute reforms that slowly undermined Tunisian sovereignty and replaced it with a more heavy-handed form of rule—a move also intended to ward off France's European rivals, who still sought influence in Tunisia. In so doing, the French inadvertently encouraged a powerful backlash with major historical consequences, as Tunisians developed one of the earliest and most successful nationalist movements in the French empire. Based on archival research in four countries, Lewis uncovers important links between international power politics and everyday matters of rights, identity, and resistance to colonial authority, while re-interpreting the whole arc of French rule in Tunisia from the 1880s to the mid-20th century. Scholars, students, and anyone interested in the history of politics and rights in North Africa, or in the nature of imperialism more generally, will gain a deeper understanding of these issues from this sophisticated study of colonial Tunisia.

More books from University of California Press

Cover of the book Greater Sage-Grouse by Mary Dewhurst Lewis
Cover of the book Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 3 by Mary Dewhurst Lewis
Cover of the book Ride, Boldly Ride by Mary Dewhurst Lewis
Cover of the book The Hakka Cookbook by Mary Dewhurst Lewis
Cover of the book India and Pakistan by Mary Dewhurst Lewis
Cover of the book Politics of the Womb by Mary Dewhurst Lewis
Cover of the book The Prehistory of Home by Mary Dewhurst Lewis
Cover of the book Reimagining Greek Tragedy on the American Stage by Mary Dewhurst Lewis
Cover of the book Illegality, Inc. by Mary Dewhurst Lewis
Cover of the book Berlin Psychoanalytic by Mary Dewhurst Lewis
Cover of the book Bringing the War Home by Mary Dewhurst Lewis
Cover of the book A Critical History of Early Rome by Mary Dewhurst Lewis
Cover of the book California Coastal Access Guide by Mary Dewhurst Lewis
Cover of the book Film Criticism, the Cold War, and the Blacklist by Mary Dewhurst Lewis
Cover of the book The Origins of the Lebanese National Idea by Mary Dewhurst Lewis
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy