A DISTINCTIVE KABYLE POLITY: Berber Government: The Kabyle Polity in Pre-colonial Algeria

[...]this book took over 25 years to complete, well worth the wait for scholars and students of Kabyle, comparative Berber, and Ottoman-Algerian studies. The author asserts that ‘knowledge of pre-colonial Kabyle society and of its political organization and traditions is … indispensable to an understanding of the complex politics of the Kabyle question in post-colonial Algeria’ (10), as evidenced by the ‘coordination’ conducted by ‘aarsh after the killing of 120 Kabyles by police in 2001 (resulting in the Kseur Platform calling for regional and national reform including the insistent appeal to have Thamazighth recognized as an official language [achieved in February 2016]). The precolonial period has been understudied and its historical influence and contemporary significance underappreciated. [...]this book is a most welcome addition.