In her book, which is exactly that—a biography—Conybeare reclaims Augustine’s North African identity, exploring how his cultural context set the stage for his writings. In doing so, she challenges centuries of scholarship and thinking on Augustine that dismiss his North African context. AdvertisementNow, Augustine’s Africa was, of course, North Africa, not the whole of the continent of Africa. People acknowledge that Augustine was born in North Africa, and most people know that he went back to North Africa after having a really formative period in Italy. So that’s one distinctively North African practice that Monica brings into the family, which Ambrose encourages her to end and Augustine eradicates from North Africa.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 20, 2026 21:35 UTC