The twelve chapters in this volume, written by both veteran and up-and-coming scholars from a variety of disciplines and national origins, seek to elucidate and analyze the various factors and issues confronting Maghribi states and societies, primarily Algeria amd Morocco, with reference also to Tunisia, the third core Magribi state. The focus of the chapters is overwhelmingly from within, against the background of these countries’ often tortured recent histories. The main themes are the intertwining of issues centering on identity, religion, and politics half a century after the Maghribi states attained independence from colonial rule. Taken as a whole, the volume continues the work of the important collected studies on Maghribi affairs published between1993 and 2000 and in 2003. Moreover, it breaks new ground in a number of areas, particularly with regard to the Berber dimension of contemporary North African society and politics, as well as the larger questions of history, memory, and national identity.