A History of Modern Morocco

I bought this book to background myself on the history of Morocco before a recent trip. Then after buying it, I debated reading it for the usual reasons -- lack of time; flagging interest; tour would tell me all I need to know, etc & etc. Finally, I convinced myself it would be a useful read. And it was. The author writes well, the book is authoritatively researched and gives a lot of information without bogging down the reader in too much detail. At 250 pages, it's just right. So, as we traveled, especially to Rabat, I was glad to have spent the time reading it. I'd recommend it for anyone who intends to visit Morocco, as it is a fascinating country with a rich history

This book is a good read for anyone looking for a quick primer on the recent history of Morocco. I like the fact that there is such a book focusing on the past 185 years or so. The history of Morocco is so much older, but it is almost impossible to absorb it all at once. This modern history is very accessible, particularly if you are on your way to visit Morocco, as we are. I feel better equipped to make this trip having taken the time to read this book. And even though it is basically a beginner's book, I can tell by the careful research and attention to detail in the writing that it is the work of a true scholar.

Synthesizing decades of scholarship and enlivening them with her deep knowledge of the country, historian Susan Miller tells the story of modern Morocco from 1830 right up to the present, providing an excellent guide for university students as well as for serious travelers who want to know, and not just be seduced by, this enchanting land. Miller's exceedingly well-informed history fights successfully against those who would reduce Morocco's past to a simple story of a pious monarchy bludgeoned by foreign powers. Reality, as she shows, was much more complicated -- and fascinating -- than that. Her book is timely: it opens debate on what is Morocco's "authentic" history at the same time as Moroccans are newly questioning received ideas about their past.

This is a part of the world that tends to get overlooked in Middle Eastern studies, but it has an interesting history. A key theme in the development of this country is a theme that runs in all Islamic countries: the problem of how to modernize while still being true to Islamic faith and culture. This dilemma has not yet been resolved and tends to result in conflict between liberal modernizers and hard-line religious fundamentalists. This history tends to focus mainly on government policy, acknowledging that such an approach is incomplete but necessary, as worm's eye history tends to suffer from a lack of sources. Morocco has been a monarchy for all of its independent history, but its monarchs for the most part have been outstanding if authoritarian leaders, and it remains to be seen if the Arab Spring will inflame this country the way it has inflamed other parts of North Africa. Morocco remains a popular tourist destination, which I intend to visit one day.

Susan Gilson Miller has written an academic but accessible history of an area that has been neglected by scholars in the West. As a historian I appreciated the footnotes and bibliography, but if you are looking for a good overview, you should definitely include this work.

I was traveling to Morocco and wanted to get some history, particularly modern history. This book filled my need. It was well researched. I have not found another book that covers the subject so well.

Very good overview of the history of Morocco starting in 1830.

Excellent and thorough. Well written! A must for morocco travelers! You will be a far more knowledgable traveler with this book in hand

Ok.