Nicholas S. Hopkins

Tunisia: An Open and Shut Case

The purpose of this brief article is to explore the ways in which Tunisia is integrated into the international division of labor. Inasmuch as several of the other papers in this collection treat the Egyptian case, the Tunisian example will be approached partly from an Egyptian point of view. An emphasis on the similarities and differences between these two cases in the broader Arab region will lead to generalizations of wider applicability. The chief point of the comparison with Egypt here will be with the open door policy developed by President Sadat in the 1970s concurrently with the effort to establish peaceful relations with Israel; in Tunisia this corresponds to the liberal policy created under the leadership of Prime Minister Hedi Nouira beginning in 1971. Both countries have moved from a period of relative self-sufficiency and consolidation to one of increasing integration into the international division of labor.

Living with Pollution in Egypt

Environmental issues are increasingly discussed in Egypt, and there is some progress in dealing with pollution. This paper examines the environmental understandings of Egyptians living in four localities. People are preoccupied with such pollution problems as dirty streets, dirty air and water, and noise, for they aspire to live in a clean, healthy environment. To achieve this, they pressure the government, and take certain individual and collective actions themselves, although direct political action is rare.

Agricultural labor and technological change in Tunisia.

Tunisia is the smallest of the North African Arab countries. It has always been primarily an agricultural country and one of its chief features is the considerable variety in agriculture from north to south, and within regions. The main crops include cereals, olives, fruits (citrus, grapes, dates), and livestock, especially sheep. Much has been accomplished in expanding and developing irrigated areas and tree crops, but there is a general sense of crisis in Tunisia with regard to dryland cultivation and animal husbandry.

Family rites in Testour, Tunisia, in the 1970s

ABSTRACT In the 1970s, people in rural northern Tunisia travelled in family groups to visit the shrines of saints (‘friends of God’) near them in search of desired health outcomes and emotional reassurance, sometimes spending overnight and enjoying the occasion for its recreational aspects as well as act of worship. This paper describes the set of beliefs that underlie such behaviour and the sequence of events in visits to several of these shrines. The visits involve prayer, commensality, and recreation. The shrines and the visits range from the simple to the complex. The occasional successful visit validates the system of beliefs, and prepares for the next visit. The collective aspect of the visits reinforces social relations within the groups of families and neighbours.