الكتابات الإنجليزية حول المجتمع المغاربي خلال القرنين 18 و19م

Abstract

This study aims to analyze and evaluate English writings that addressed Maghrebi society during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, considering them as important sources for understanding the social, political, and economic transformations that the region witnessed during this period. These writings acquire special importance as they provide an external perspective of Maghrebi society from authors belonging to a different cultural and civilizational context. The sources of these writings varied between reports of British consuls, travelers' memoirs, writings of English captives and merchants who resided in the region, as well as correspondence from diplomats and clergy. These sources were characterized by their detailed description of social life in major Maghrebi cities, with special focus on customs and traditions, administrative systems, social relations, economic activity, and cultural and religious life. These writings also dealt in detail with the nature of the political system in the Maghreb countries, relations between different social groups, prevailing patterns of life, and the transformations that occurred in Maghrebi society during this important historical period. However, these sources were clearly influenced by the tense political and economic relations between Britain and the Maghreb states, and by the cultural and intellectual background of their authors, which necessitates dealing with them using a critical methodology that takes these influences into consideration.