Forgotten Voices ― Power And Agency In Colonial And Postcolonial Libya

Ahmida (political science, U. of New England) addresses Libyan social and cultural history through the lens of his personal background (he was born in Libya), as well as critical perspectives of neo-Marxism, feminism, postmodernism, postcolonial analysis, and theoretical debates in subaltern studies, new Ottoman social history, and Orientalism. He reinterprets the country's history, critiques scholarship that focuses on Qadhdhafi and ignores society and culture, and includes the voices of ordinary citizens. He first looks at state formation and regionalism under the Ottoman Empire, and analyzes recently discovered materials about the state of Awlad Muhammad in Fezzan, views of colonial Libya, Italian fascism, and the Jamahiriyya state from 1977 to 2003. Also examined is the work of writer Ahmad Ibrahim al-Faqih and themes of identity, culture, and alienation. Two of the chapters were previously published in other books and were updated for this volume; most are revisions of papers presented at conferences. Annotation c2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Ali Abdullatif Ahmida is Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of New England.