French and Algerian Identities From Colonial Times to the Present a Century of Interaction

"This pluridisciplinary book raises a host of issues including demography, politics, literature and the FLN. Questions of identity and nationality are considered with reference to the harkis, the pieds-noirs and Algerian immigrants in France. . . . Benjamin Stora gives a fascinating account of the formation of a sense of identity amongst the disparate group of Algerian immigrants in post-war France and of the subsequent tendencies and struggles that divided the nationalist movement. André Nouschi, in a chapter with burning relevance today, traces the struggles within the FLN over secularism, Islam and Arab identity. Keith Sutton, in what is perhaps the most powerful chapter, considers the French Army's forced resettlement and displacement of up to half Algeria's rural population in its struggle against the FLN. He combines meticulous attention to detail with dispassionate analysis, yet still arouses our indignation. . . . the contributions are clear and well argued and throw fascinating light in what is a complex, multi-dimensional subject." - Modern and Contemporary France

"All the articles in the present volume seem to substantiate the thesis put forward in the introduction, that Franco-Algerian interaction, despite its asymmetrical relationship, has left its imprint on both cultures. The articles are followed by a useful index listing names of people, places and organizations referred to in the text. . . . welcome English addition to Franco-Algerian studies." - Islam and Christian Muslim Relations