excerpt of the TEACHING GUIDE for the afterlives of the algerian revolution
Although this JadMag was inspired by an academic panel intended for specialists of Algeria, the themes discussed in this issue are certainly relevant for a more general readership. It will appeal to those who are interested in the effects of colonialism in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as the question of postcolonial governance more broadly. At the crossroads of multiple historiographies, we hope that Algeria will offer an exciting way to think about the questions of Third Worldism, gender, political economy, identity, and social memory.
This volume aims to investigate the dynamics that have marked Algerian history since 1962. While colonial Algeria has received a good deal of scholarly and popular attention, contemporary events have been all but ignored (with the exception of political Islamism and the civil war). Here, we seek to contextualize the diverse ways in which colonialism continues to impact Algerian history; this certainly does not mean that colonialism is the only decisive factor in explaining Algerian politics today. If anything, we have tried to show how contemporary actors play a key role in giving meaning to the past, and how that past, in turn, shapes the current political landscape.
Below are a number of questions that focus on each article individually.
Opposition in the Context of Anti-Colonial Nationalism and the One-Party State
Social Memory, Nostalgia, and Revolution
Gender and Revolution
Jews in Algeria
The Politics of Oil
More advanced students might be asked to think about Algeria in terms of its overlapping regional contexts: the Middle East, the Mediterranean basin, and North Africa. Moreover, despite a violent history of decolonization, Algeria remains very much under the economic and cultural influence of France. In looking at immigration policies under FRONTEX, or the commemoration of the massacre in Paris on 17 October 1961, or Algeria’s role in France’s intervention in Mali, students can explore how the colonial past has given rise to a high degree of official cooperation.
These articles can also be looked at in a comparative framework: for example, one can think about gender and the state in Tunisia or the ways in which the petrol impacts political mobilization in Saudi Arabia. Nasser’s Egypt also provides a clear parallel with Algeria under Boumediene, especially in terms of the subsequent economic “opening” (intifah) that occurred after the policy of state socialism. The transnational history of Third Worldism and the cultural and political links formed with other countries (most notably with the Black Panther movement in the United States), provide further avenues for reflection and comparison.
These readings are certainly accessible for undergraduates, and we have made a concerted effort to provide texts in English. While this meant overlooking several important works, it has the advantage of making the bibliography accessible for those who are not specialists of North Africa, or who do not have training in French. The documentaries, films, and novels listed below—especially the much celebrated Battle of Algiers—are especially encouraged as pedagogical tools.
Also included in the publication is a list of online resources, which spans general and specialized websites and blogs in English, Arabic, and French. In addition to sources of information, we have provided a number of links for practical information relating to research in Algeria. For those who are interested in social media, the resources include links to bloggers and Twitter accounts.
[See more inside...]
This volume aims to investigate the dynamics that have marked Algerian history since 1962. While colonial Algeria has received a good deal of scholarly and popular attention, contemporary events have been all but ignored (with the exception of political Islamism and the civil war). Here, we seek to contextualize the diverse ways in which colonialism continues to impact Algerian history; this certainly does not mean that colonialism is the only decisive factor in explaining Algerian politics today. If anything, we have tried to show how contemporary actors play a key role in giving meaning to the past, and how that past, in turn, shapes the current political landscape.
Below are a number of questions that focus on each article individually.
Opposition in the Context of Anti-Colonial Nationalism and the One-Party State
- Why did Kateb Yacine initially refuse to write against the Algerian state?
- What are some of the problems involved in defining the end of a revolutionary period?
- What role did Marxism play in the political narrative of the PAGSists? Why?
- How are we to make sense of the title of this article? Why was opposition “impossible”?
- How do the individuals interviewed in the article understand the process of state-building in Algeria?
Social Memory, Nostalgia, and Revolution
- Who was Houari Boumediene and how is he remembered in Bab el Oued?
- What are some examples of the daily struggles faced by the population of Bab el Oued?
- What does McAllister mean by “temporal dislocation”? What role does it play in Algeria at the present time?
- In what ways does nostalgia play a political role in Algeria?
- How do residents of Bab el Oued understand the relationship between democracy and social democracy?
Gender and Revolution
- Who is considered to be a “real” soldier in Algeria? Why?
- How does the “dominant narrative” of independence influence women’s memory of their own role in the war?
- Why is 1962 an important moment for these women? Why does the author claim it is both an “event” and “metaphor”?
- How are spaces external to Algeria—such as Tunisia and Morocco—important in the accounts of these women?
- How do memories of the War of Independence impact the “social contract” between these women and the Algerian state?
Jews in Algeria
- Why is the Jew considered an “invisible” religious minority in Algeria?
- What is the contrast between lived experiences and preexisting tensions exemplified in the debate between Zohra Drif and Bernard Henri Levy?
- What is North African Hiloula and why does the author suggest it provides a fruitful way to discuss religious diversity?
- What is particular about the Chaabi genre of music?
- According to the author, what is the relationship between the “dominant frame of Islamic violence” and the possibilities for Judeo-Muslim solidarity?
The Politics of Oil
- What does the author mean by an “epistemological crisis”?
- What role do accusations of neocolonialism play in discrediting the ruling elite?
- Why is the idea of treason so important in articulating a critique of the current government?
- Why is identifying certain individuals as “foreign” considered to be a politically charged act in Algeria?
- What is the difference between accusations of “neocolonialism” and accusations of “internal colonialism”?
More advanced students might be asked to think about Algeria in terms of its overlapping regional contexts: the Middle East, the Mediterranean basin, and North Africa. Moreover, despite a violent history of decolonization, Algeria remains very much under the economic and cultural influence of France. In looking at immigration policies under FRONTEX, or the commemoration of the massacre in Paris on 17 October 1961, or Algeria’s role in France’s intervention in Mali, students can explore how the colonial past has given rise to a high degree of official cooperation.
These articles can also be looked at in a comparative framework: for example, one can think about gender and the state in Tunisia or the ways in which the petrol impacts political mobilization in Saudi Arabia. Nasser’s Egypt also provides a clear parallel with Algeria under Boumediene, especially in terms of the subsequent economic “opening” (intifah) that occurred after the policy of state socialism. The transnational history of Third Worldism and the cultural and political links formed with other countries (most notably with the Black Panther movement in the United States), provide further avenues for reflection and comparison.
These readings are certainly accessible for undergraduates, and we have made a concerted effort to provide texts in English. While this meant overlooking several important works, it has the advantage of making the bibliography accessible for those who are not specialists of North Africa, or who do not have training in French. The documentaries, films, and novels listed below—especially the much celebrated Battle of Algiers—are especially encouraged as pedagogical tools.
Also included in the publication is a list of online resources, which spans general and specialized websites and blogs in English, Arabic, and French. In addition to sources of information, we have provided a number of links for practical information relating to research in Algeria. For those who are interested in social media, the resources include links to bloggers and Twitter accounts.
[See more inside...]
