The Ethnographic State: France and the Invention of Moroccan Islam

France had a stormy colonial history in North Africa in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It first started off in Algeria and Tunisia. It next turned its eyes to Morocco and wanted to take a different approach, and more importantly, build up a “Moroccan” version of Islam that was different from Islam anywhere else. This book explores the process of how the French came about recognizing they needed to do things differently; how they went about it, and the major players involved. We learn along the way that sociology, and especially ethnic studies, really became topics of study at universities. The success, and failures, of the French missions and what went right and what went wrong is informative for people who want to understand the region today.

This book is written for historians and academics interested in North African history. People who want to understand the roots of modern day conflicts in that region will gain a lot of information from reading this book. It tends toward the academic side, because it is an academic book, but you will find it highly engaging.