Writing the Algerian Wars: History, Religion, Culture

This international symposium will explore the major social and cultural mechanisms operative on the local and personal levels in Algeria today while also taking into account some of the larger national processes that have evolved since Algerian independence in 1962. Rather than relying on the traditional binary dualities of colonialism vs. post-colonialism and colonizer vs. colonized usually used to describe the Algerian historical experience and its contemporary reverberations, we instead seek to open new lines of inquiry from anthropological, historical, religious, and literary perspectives, and also to introduce voices not usually heard in the United States despite their wide popularity in North Africa and Europe. The ultimate goal will be to achieve an understanding of contemporary Algerian society "from within," with all its nuance and complexity.

Friday, April 21, 2:00PM-5:00PM

Co-sponsored by the Department of French