Tunisia often seems to visitors the most Western of Arab countries. Although Westerners may see this as a compliment, many Tunisians are increasingly concerned about restoring what they regard as an authentic Tunisian, Arab, or even Islamic culture in place of one largely borrowed from France. The "traditional versus Western" conflict may be overstated, but Tunisians are proud of their cultural integrity and long history. Although it may rarely appear in Western newspaper headlines, Tunisia nonetheless has played a role in contemporary international politics and culture disproportionate to its small size.
Largely as a result of its geographical location, Tunisia has a long history of Western influence, dating from long before the period of French colonial control. Although its oldest known population consisted of North African Berbers, much of Tunisia had been conquered early in its history by seagoing Phoenicians. They established the Punic state, with its capital at Carthage next to modern Tunis, and expanded from there. A formidable enemy of Rome, Carthage eventually succumbed to conquest by the Roman Empire and its Byzantine successor. Tunisia became heavily Romanized, as is still evident from architectural and artistic remains. These include some of the most striking mosaics to be found anywhere.
The Arab-Muslim conquest of the seventh century A.D. led to the gradual conversion of almost the entire population (all but the Jews) to Islam. Muslim Tunisia knew several periods of political and cultural importance. Indeed in the fourteenth century the country gave birth to one of Islam's greatest historians, Ibn Khaldun, often also called the father of sociology.
Like other Muslim countries of the fifteenth century, it welcomed Jews expelled from Spain, and it also became home to many Italian Jews. During the sixteenth century, Tunisia became part of the Ottoman Empire, but it grew increasingly autonomous in practice.
Its position, only ninety miles from Sicily, made trade and other contracts with Europe inevitable. During the nineteenth century, Italian and French trade and political influence in Tunisia grew greatly. The French protectorate (forcibly established in 1881) theoretically left the local ruler in place, but in practice the French seized full political and economic control, which was not relinquished until 1956.
Divisions And Contrasts Within Society
A land of striking natural beauty, Tunisia is perhaps best known in the West for its tourist attractions, notably sun, sand, and sea. There are also the marked physical contrasts between the southern and central desert and semidesert areas and the fertile oases of the northern and eastern regions near the Mediterranean.
Despite a unity that derives from the country's small physical size, the lack of rugged terrain, and a population of six million (an overwhelming majority of whom are Arabic-speaking Muslims), Tunisia remains a country of great diversity. Its problems and contradictions are as striking as its achievements.
Like most Third World countries, Tunisia is experiencing rapid population increase. Over half the population is under twenty-one, with more entering the
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