The memory and legacy of the Algerian War continue to dominate French history, and Algeria remains a vital reference point in metropolitan France. Recent debates sparked by films such as Indigènes (2006), which highlighted France’s disregard for the contribution made by Algerian soldiers during World War II, make clear that France is still coming to terms with the trauma and consequences of decolonisation in general, and its painful separation from Algeria in particular. This project sets out to consider how colonial and post-colonial relations between France and Algeria have been represented since the outbreak of the Algerian War (1954-62), and will track the shifting way in which the idea or myth of ‘Algeria’ has been constructed, portrayed and understood in France during that time. The project’s central hypothesis is that visual modes of representation in particular (such as film, video, photography and television) have played a crucial role in the mediation of the Franco-Algerian relationship. It will examine the role played by the visual image in constructing and contesting dominant modes of understanding both during and after decolonisation, and will do so by investigating a range of material from both within and outside mass visual media.
The project is funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and runs for three years from September 2008. It is being undertaken by Dr Joseph McGonagle (Department of French, The University of Manchester) and Dr Edward Welch (Department of French, University of Durham). To find out more about the project team, and to get in touch, go to the 'About Us' section. The project involves a range of outputs and events, including an exhibition staged at Cornerhouse in Manchester between April and June 2011. More details on the project and the issues we are exploring can be found in the 'Research' section. As the project unfolds, we are building up a gallery of the visual material we are working on. For updates of events and activities associated with the project, go here.
Latest News - October 2011
17 October 1961 Today marks the fiftieth anniversary of an infamous night of repression in Paris during which a peaceful protest by Algerians against a police curfew was brutally broken up. New photographs of the events and their aftermath by Henri Georges have recently been brought into the public domain by the historian Gilles Manceron. A slideshow, with commentary on the events by Manceron, can currently be viewed on the website of Le Monde newspaper here. We discuss the visual representation of the events of 17 October both at the time and subsequently in the book we are writing as part of the current project.
