Book excerpt: First published in 1984, Habib Bourguiba, Islam and the Creation of Tunisia is a study of Habib Bourguiba, the founder of independent Tunisia, that argues that Islam played a vital role in the development of the Tunisian nationalist movement. This book is therefore both a biography of the Tunisian leader and a discussion of the role of Islam as the key to legitimacy throughout the Arab world. The author argues that Islam was such a fundamental component in defining the specificity of the Tunisian nation that even Bourguiba, the most secular of Arab leaders, could not shed the Arab-Islamic heritage of Tunisia. Instead, he used Islam as a principle mode of communication to mobilise the Tunisian masses. This book will be of interest to students of African studies, history, political science and religion.