ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides a fairly comprehensive overview of the changing geography of the Tunisian Sahel. It includes three central themes that characterise the changing geography of the Tunisian Sahel. One is the idea of continuity and change. A second overarching theme is the idea of Tunisia as being 'on the edge' or 'at the margins'. A third recurrent theme has been the tension between tradition and modernity. The book explores why Tunisia does not clearly fit in either the European or the African context. Tunisia clearly has economic and political links with the Arab world through trade, labour migration and membership of the Arab League. In the case of the Tunisian Sahel the region can be characterised as one of large, connected villages and towns, so the study of urban areas is an essential part of fieldwork there.
