This work analyses the connections that exist between identity, the media and social bonds in the Maghreb. What behaviour and patterns of behaviour may be adopted there - whether at the individual or community level? Who may claim them? What part do the nation and religion play in the adoption of such behaviour?

How can we evoke tradition today…? All these questions will be found in the present papers which all stem from a collective project carried out at the Institute of Research in Contemporary Maghreb between 1993 and 1996.

The articles offer detailed answers to the themes addressed here while avoiding the pitfalls of black-and-white solutions. The themes covered include: the press in cosmopolitan Tangiers in the early 20th century, the reshaping of family ties by Tunisian television during Ramadan, and an analysis of the so-called Islamic clothing. 

Places are especially important because of their specific history and also as vehicles of social links.  The ties that are developed, just like the lives people lead in those places, determine itineraries alternately made of movement and rest. Those Maghreb men who happen to be veterans of the war the French waged in Indochina have experienced more deeply than anyone else the difficulty of coming to terms with their memory? Which path - whether imaginary or guided - is being followed by the tourist or the youngster listening to raï music?

Although these studies are closely connected to the geography and social sphere of Maghreb, they testify to the complex and ever-changing interlocking of those spheres within larger “networks of reference”.  The concrete approach of those studies that were carried out in varied “places” are a contribution to today’s debate on globalisation and the role of media.

Susan OSSMAN, who coordinated this collective work, was Head of the Institute of Research in Contemporary Maghreb in Rabat from 1993 to 1996. She currently teaches at the American University of Paris and does research within the CNRS laboratory for Communication and Politics (UPR 36).