Border, Breed Nor Birth

Border, Breed nor Birth is a science-fiction novella and the second in a series of near-future stories set in North Africa. It has been called a notable exception to the indirect treatment of racial issues in 1960s science fiction. The title refers to Rudyard Kipling's poem on the convergence of two seemingly opposed cultural traditions, The Ballad of East and West. In Border, Breed nor Birth a culture clash is between the freemarket capitalism represented by C.I.A. Fred Ostrander and the Soviet socialism represented by David Moroka. Their antagonism is temporarily resolved when they both recognize each other as equally committed to their African ancestry and to the unification of North Africa. In contrast, the clash between Dr. Homer Crawford's (El Hassan) dream of a progressive Africa and Abd-el-Kader's adoption of Islamic fundamentalism at the end of the novella offers little hope of a possible meeting of these two enemies. This series includes Black Man's Burden, Border, Breed nor Birth, Black Sheep Astray, and The Best Ye Breed.