Who Fought the Algerian War? Political Identity and Conflict in French-Ruled Algeria

FAIN: FT-53230-05

Lizabeth Anne Zack
University of South Carolina, Upstate (Spartanburg, SC 29303-4999)

Who fought the 1950s Algerian war? While most accounts assume that “the French” and “the Algerians” went to war with each other in 1954, evidence suggests that who belonged to each group was a source of heated controversy. This project traces the formation of “French” and “Algerian” identities during French rule in Algeria (1830-1962). Using archival sources, it argues that conflicts among social movements and central state authorities, more so than cultural background or economic position, account best for the construction of these identities. It concludes that the deep separation between “the French” and “the Algerians” was, thus, a product of the 1950s war.

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Early Origins of Islamic Activism in Algeria: The Case of Khaled in Post-World War I Algiers (Article)
Title: Early Origins of Islamic Activism in Algeria: The Case of Khaled in Post-World War I Algiers
Author: Lizabeth Zack
Abstract: This article examines a surge of Islamic activism in French-occupied Algeria in the wake of World War I by focusing closely on the political career of a leading Islamic activist, Khaled Abd Al Qadir. Scholars have debated Khaled's credentials as an early ‘Algerian’ nationalist but have taken for granted his Islamic identity as a natural by-product of a suppressed native culture and an Islamic revival in the wider Middle East. While these background conditions were important, they do not explain some of the specific patterns associated with Khaled's Islamic activism. Using insights from social movement theory, this article focuses especially on the role of French government-sponsored reforms in 1919 in fostering the surge of Islamic activism in Algeria. The article concludes by challenging ideas about the origins of Islamic activism in Algeria and by highlighting the connection between democratisation and the rise of religious politics in contemporary Algeria and other regimes around the world.
Year: 2006
Primary URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13629380600704894
Primary URL Description: The above url is a link to the journal article, from the Journal of North African Studies, the top journal for scholars of North Africa. John Entelis, the editor of JNAS, is one of the world’s foremost scholars of Algerian politics.
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Journal of North African Studies
Publisher: Taylor & Francis

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