ABSTRACT
One of the most characteristic features of Berber social organisation is the existence of a hierarchy of small states, from the canton or the fraction up to the tribe or confederation. An analysis of the economic institutions also shows that the Berber communities do not limit themselves to the formulation of political constitutions and that, in this other sphere, the same ideal prevails; that is, to attempt a reconciliation between the love of anarchy and the benefits of cooperation. The economic role of the fortified storehouses leads to make a few remarks in conclusion about the changes that have taken place in Berber society as a result of contact with industrial society. Markets are also, in theory, communal institutions which the Berber republics attempt to regulate and to protect. The Berbers come in fact to earn, with their labour, the cash necessary to keep alive the wives, children and old folk who have remained at home.
