Abstract The paper relates that the uprising in nationalism after the First World War led to a wave of decolonization after the Second World War, especially in Asia and Africa. The paper focuses on India's non-violent revolution and Algeria's violent war of independence that are two different cases of this process. The paper specifically examines the nationalist movement in India and its results and then reviews Algeria's historical background and demands for independence. The paper concludes by highlighting the similarities and differences between the Indian and Algerian pursuits of independence.
Outline:
India
Algeria Indian and Algerian Pursuit of Independence
From the Paper "The Congress Party "was an anti-colonial mass democratic party (...) enjoyed significant popular support" (Riley, 2007, 829). The Congress Party became after the First World War the main actor and the most successful in its efforts because its main adversaries, the left, were contained by the British rule, and due to its growing number of members. The party had a great deal of influence and power, not only from the number of supporters and members, but also due to its non-violent ideology. According to Riley, "central to Gandhi's program was non-violence as a tactic [with] a fine balance between restraint and radicalism following a compromise-struggle-compromise strategy" (Riley, 2007, 831), using both official negotiations but also civil disobedience and mass protests. Therefore, a violent confrontation on a large scale with the British administration was more reduced."
Abstract This paper begins by stating the women in the twentieth century advanced in many spheres in most countries, especially the western world, but how women in Algeria are still treated as second-class citizens. It provides an overview of the political situation in Algeria and then looks at issues such as domestic abuse, the legal environment for women and women in government. It also discusses assassinations on women for "honor" reasons and the Islamic Salvation Front's (FIS) attitude towards women. The paper also discusses the Algerian woman's response to this type of treatment.
From the Paper "President Liamine Zeroual, a former general, was elected in November 1995 to a five-year term. Zeroual previously had served as president of a transition government established by the army in 1994, which included a National Transition Council as a surrogate parliament. The President controls defense and foreign policy, appoints and dismisses the Prime Minister and cabinet ministers, and may dissolve the legislature. The presidential election was competitive. In a referendum held in November 1996, the government obtained approval of proposed changes to the constitution, including the provision of a second parliamentary chamber and greater presidential authority. In June 1997, Algeria held its first parliamentary elections since January 1992 (when elections were canceled due to unrest) and elected the first multiparty Parliament in Algerian history. The cancellation of the 1992 elections, which the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) was poised to win, suspended the democratization process and a transition to a pluralistic republic, and escalated fighting, which still continues, between the security forces and armed Islamist groups seeking to overthrow the government and impose an Islamic state (Algeria Country Report, 1998, p. 1)."
Abstract The paper studies the situation in Algeria as leadership and stability are being exchanged for radicalism. The writer looks at the writings of Dirk Axtmann about the nature of human identity in order to assess the inclination in Algeria to align itself with extremism. The writer traces the tragic events that have lately unfolded in the troubled country.
From the Paper "At least 60,000 of Algeria's 28.6 million people have died in more than five years of conflict. The killings have been blamed for the most part on the Armed Islamic Group and other militant Islamic organizations, whose targets have included working women, unveiled women, government employees, journalists, academics, Roman Catholic clerics and even Islamic theologians who did not meet these groups' fundamentalist criteria (Algerian military linked to massacre of civilians, 1998, p. A15)."
Abstract This paper discusses the political situation and governmental structure of Algeria, a country that was a French colony before 1962. The country is still struggling to develop a stable form of government and has encountered numerous crises in the past few years. The author discusses some of these difficulties.
From the Paper "Algeria gained independence from France in 1962 after seven years of war and since then has witnessed many conflicts and crisis. It is socialist republic and Islam is the state religion. The country was in a state of transition when in the early half of 1990s; Algeria encountered the first major fundamentalist backlash, which was instigated by Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), now the major political force in the country though the only legal party is National Liberation Front (FLN).'
Abstract The paper describes how the article "French Memories of Algeria," illustrates how France has not fully come to terms with its history of colonization in North Africa, specifically Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. The paper explains that France's memories of the Algerian war will always remain somewhat conflicted, especially when new confessions of torture come to light about the French army's rule over the area.
The paper contends that in this article, modernization and secularism, along with romanticism, is seen as a defense for at least some of what was done to Algeria, even though the author states he despises the use of torture upon the native population.
Outline:
Description
Interpretation
Evaluation
From the Paper "The article "French memories of Algeria," published in May 2003 in the Contemporary Review illustrates how France has come to terms and not come to terms with its history of colonization in North Africa, specifically Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. Algeria is given special attention, however, given the affection that many Frenchmen who came of age during the 1950s and 1960s feel for that nation. The author Barrett Singer analogizes this sense of nostalgia to America's gradual acceptance of its legacy in Vietnam and the need to honor its Vietnam veterans. Singer states that at first, French people turned against the men who fought in Algiers as torturers. Then, the French people began to engage in some efforts to commend the French soldier's bravery for their homeland, although not the cause of colonialism."
Tags: Morocco, Tunisia, torture, colonization, native, population
Abstract France regarded Algeria as part of France till the late 1950s insurgency, ending in Independence in 1962. A million French left Algeria and as many Algerians. This paper notes how Algerians were ambivalent about conflict, many serving the French, still seeing themselves as French citizens, and disappointed by the subsequent regime. The paper also discusses the Second Algerian War of the 1990s, ongoing Algerian migration to France, and French attitudes.
From the Paper "A century ago, the prospect of France without its province across the Mediterranean Sea was unthinkable. Many French lived with Algeria's population of Arabs, Berbers, its Jewish and varied Christian community, across a vast territory. Southern France seemed to lead on to the exotic territory of Algiers, once taken by Spain, then the Ottoman Empire, before becoming a French colony in 1830. Edward Said commented on later 19th century French imperialist dreams of a railway 'ribbon' to connect French Africa to the provinces of France."
Abstract The paper discusses how, over the past several decades, two neighboring Northern African states, Algeria and Morocco, have taken different paths in their views and treatment of families and genders. The paper examines how, as a result of the specific differences in the treatment of gender, the male and female genders have assumed different roles in each of these countries. In this paper, several books and films are discussed and analyzed in order to better describe the topic of gender roles in Morocco and Algeria.
Outline:
Introduction
Portrayal of the Gender Roles in Books
Common Threads of Gender Roles
Conclusion
Works Cited
From the Paper "There are deeper cultural clashes that are depicted in "Year of the Elephant", which is a collection of stories written and compiled by Leila Abouzeid. The "title story", if you will, shares the history of a woman who has been divorced and left with nothing to her name, essentially leaving her trapped within the confines of her village. She goes through a period of depression and recounts her life story, her involvement in the independence movement, her marriage to a young man who becomes seduced by materialism. Through all of these trials, she takes on the viewpoint that the colonization that held Morocco in a powerless position is not over, that it has simply been replaced by ambitious and greedy Moroccans wielding power over the disenfranchised--the poor and women. By presenting such a complex story, Abouzeid takes on several cultural issues- secular versus sacred, materialistic versus personal, the powerful overtaking the weak, and of course the classic struggle for the genders to attain equality and more specifically for women to achieve equal rights in a society that basically refuses to give them those rights."
Algeria has lived in civil strife for a great deal of time. Approximately 40,000 lives have been lost in the struggle between factions. Diplomatic attempts have to resolve the turmoil, foreign governments are now withholding financial aid to force peace.
2,925 words (approx. 11.7 pages), 16 sources, 1995, $ 103.95
From the Paper "THE IMPLICATIONS OF FUNDAMENTALISM IN ALGERIA
INTRODUCTION
Algeria has become a profoundly Muslim country since Independence and the precipitate departure of the Europeans. Ninety-nine percent of all Algerian Muslims are Sunnis of the Malakite rite.(1) Thus any diversity is within the context of Sunni Islam itself. The principal dichotomy being between the puritanical and scripturalist Islam of the Ulama and the Charismatic Islam of the saints (mrabitin or marabouts), who are the descendants of the Prophet and the Sufi orders (Tuniq).
BACKGROUND
The Maraboutic Islam accounted for much of the resistance from 1830 ..."
This paper explores the concept of combining socialism with ideas of Islam. It also gives several examples of the use of a socialistic model in the Islamic world. The writer discusses the governments of Iran, Pakistan, Somalia, Libya and Algeria.
Abstract This paper attempts to illuminate the origins of Islamic political thought and also to introduce similarities between Islamic and Western ideas. The writer argues that Islamic political thought (especially the socialist movement) is not a dangerous and violent opposition to Western democracy. The paper works to discredit some stereotypes not only about the Islamic world but also about the idea of Socialism in general.
From the Paper "There are many aspects of Western civilization that were not accepted by the Islamic world. First, the social principles and the life of the West were totally different from the Muslim culture. Practical and technical knowledge, full markets with material goods were "incapable of offering to men's minds a flicker of light, a ray of hope, a grain of faith, or of providing anxious persons the smallest path toward rest and tranquillity" (Al-Banna 119). After more than a hundred years of European rule, many Muslims got tired of Western materialistic culture and wanted some spiritual satisfaction that they had before the Western Intervention (Al Banna 118-119)."
Tags:Algeria, Somalia, politics, society, Muslim, thought
Abstract This paper specifically examines the story's plot, point of view, theme, protagonist, irony and major symbols, as well as the influence of existentialism in this work. It explains how Camus' "The Guest" is a story about a man, but more importantly, it is the story about the struggle of colonialism, and what it meant to the people who lived in Algeria during its struggle to free itself from the French way of life.
From the Paper ""The Guest" is an intriguing story of right and wrong, and what a man believes in. Daru, the schoolteacher in a remote area of Algeria, is torn between duty and what he believes is the right thing to do when he is suddenly thrust in the middle of a situation he does not anticipate. He must escort an Arabic prisoner to the nearest town. It is not that Daru has much sympathy for the man; in fact, he does not, and actually finds himself disliking the Arab for disrupting so many lives. "Daru felt a sudden wrath against the man, against all men with their rotten spite, their tireless hates, their blood lust." Unfortunately, Daru loves his homeland, and cannot bear to think of leaving, despite the turmoil that is raging around him between France and the Algerian natives."
Abstract This paper describes the life of the French philosopher Albert Camus from his birth in Mondovi, Algeria on November 7, 1913 to his tragic death in an automobile accident on January 4, 1960. It looks at his childhood, education, family life as well as his activity in socialist and libertarian politics and in the promotion of the arts and culture. It also examines his philosophies and various publications including "L'Etranger" ("The Stranger" or more commonly known as "The Outsider") and "Le Mythe de Sisyphe" or "The Myth of Sisyphus".
From the Paper "After a long recuperative period Camus continued to pursue his philosophical studies under the weighty influence of his professor and intellectual guide Jean Grenier. "It was during this period that Albert Camus discovered he wanted to write" (53). During 1932 Camus became a published writer when four of his essays were published as articles in a small, monthly literary and art review called Sud. By this time the student had begun composing a series of prose poems and had also joined a group that was publishing a weekly newspaper dedicated to raising Moslem consciousness."
Abstract The paper discusses the Algerian civil war that began in 1991 and extended until 2002 with the defeat of various Islamic fundamentalist groups by the secular government and its forces. The paper argues that the roots of the civil war in the 1990s can be found in the country's war of independence from the French that began in the mid 1950s and ended in 1962. The paper concludes by showing how all the conditions that led to the civil war's outbreak in the early 1990s are still present today.
From the Paper "As so much of international conflict throughout history, the political, social, and economic instability that led to civil war in Algeria during the early 1990s has its roots both in its colonial past as well as in its struggle for independence. Algeria gained its independence from France in 1962 but this independence is estimated to have cost the country more than 300k killed while other estimates have placed the number much higher at more than 1m individuals killed due to its armed struggle against France. France struggled mightily to retain its Algerian colony even in the face of increasingly national and global trends for colonial powers to relinquish control of former colonies. Much of the instability that manifested itself during the late 1980s and early 1990s that led to civil war can be traced to the war for independence against the French which actually lasted over a period of 8 years."
Abstract This essay critically assesses the contribution of cultural sociology to the understanding of religion. It does this by first examining and summarizing how three "classical sociological theorists" (i.e.: Weber, Durkheim and Marx) see the nature of religion as a cultural form. It then looks at various recent theories of religion under globalization. The author then assesses the contribution that these cultural theories give to the understanding of real religious phenomena through examining whether they can help in an understanding of Islamic fundamentalism in general, and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Algeria specifically. The paper includes extensive use of quotes from the three theorists.
From the Paper "In fact, according to Giddens, Marx believed that religion is the "opium of the people" (Giddens, 1996, p464). In other words, Marx believed that religion defers happiness and rewards to the afterlife, teaching the acceptance of existing conditions in this life. This means that attention is diverted away from inequalities and injustices in this life by promising a better future in the Afterlife. In addition to this, Budd believes that Marx thought religion not only reflected the suffering of the working class, but offered a "fantasy escape" from that suffering (Budd, 1973). Marx believed that religion had a very powerful ideological element, and that religious beliefs and values often provide justifications of inequalities of wealth and power (Giddens, 1996). He further claims that religion often has ideological implications which serve to justify the interests of the ruling class at the expense of other subordinate classes (Giddens, 1996)."
Abstract This paper concerns itself with applying Thomas H. Green's taxonomy of revolution leadership, "Comparative Revolutionary Movements" to two cases in a comparative manner: the enigmatic personas of Samora Machel and Sam Nujoma. The author provides extensive background information on the revolutions and revolutionaries in question. The paper discusses how Green sets out an analytical framework for comparing revolutions based on the comparison of leadership, support, ideology, organization, techniques and external support.
From the Paper:
"Revolution has pervaded the landscape of modern African history with a plethora of different examples. To be sure, from Algeria to Guinea Bissau, Angola to Mozambique and Zimbabwe to Namibia, Africa has seen her fair share of transformation-orientated uprising. Each of the myriad of African revolutions has their own story to tell regarding causes, characteristics and outcomes. This paper concerns itself with the characteristics of revolution. To be specific, the leaderships aspects of revolution. Now, African history is colored with many great revolutionaries: Hendrik Witbooi, Joshua Nkomo, Robert Mugabe, Jonas Savimbi, Ben Bella, john Chilembwe and Bambatha all invoke in their own right memories of the some of the greatest African leaders of our time and that of the generations before us. It is important to understand the socio-psychology of this very unique type of leadership. To this end, we can employ the criterion of Thomas H Green, developed in his seminal work "Comparative Revolutionary Movements."
Abstract This paper is a review of Fanon's book, "A Dying Colonialism" that details liberation of Algeria from French colonialism. The history of French occupation and the five year struggle for independence by the Algerians is covered using details from the book. How the revolution changed Algerian society is examined, and how the introduction of modern medicine and technology, allowed the Algerians to make the most of their independence.
From the Paper "The radio played a large role in the liberation of Algeria. Introduced by the French, it was at first dismissed as an instrument to hold the Algerians down. The radio was established by the French in the form of Radio-Alger, an extension of the French National Broadcasting System, and was used as a way to embed colonial culture into the Algerian people's existence. Through this bombardment of French values, the Algerian people were actually divided further, into those who owned a radio, and those who did not. Generally, the majority of Algerian families rejected having a radio in their household."
