ABSTRACT
The seven other articles in this volume were originally planned as ‘standalone’ articles. One, The Lesser Gods of the Sahara’, was in fact published elsewhere in 2002. While that article was in press, ‘Ethnicity, Regionalism and Political Stability in Algeria’s Grand Sud’ was submitted for consideration to the editors of the Journal of North African Studies (JNAS). That resulted in the suggestion that I might edit a special issue of JNAS on the Algerian Tuareg. This was an opportune invitation, for which I am immensely grateful, for although the other articles were all at various stages of preparation, I had given no thought as to where they might be published. In bringing them together in one volume, I have retained their ‘stand-alone’ quality while taking advantage of the generosity of the editors of JNAS to indulge in more cross-referencing between the articles than would have been the case if they had been scattered through a multiplicity of journals.
