Book excerpt: Now that North Africa is viewed less as the exclusive hunting ground of French scholars, those from elsewhere are seeing the region in its relation to the larger world rather than merely to its former colonists. Here American, British, and Tunisian scholars explore the Maghrib as a space where worlds have met through history, emphasizing its central role in shaping those encounters. The nine essays are from a 1998 conference in Tunisia, and were published as The Journal of North African Studies 6/1 (spring 2001). Distributed in the US by ISBS. c. Book News Inc.