Transnational Negotiations in the Contemporary Period
In the wake of Algerian independence, the permanent settling of Algerian migrants in France led to the birth of a significant second generation of Algerians within France, which is now acquiring increasing visibility within French visual culture. We therefore aim to examine the image of Algeria, and of the relationship between France and Algeria, which has been articulated by Algerian immigrant communities in contemporary France. We will examine the extent to which dominant modes of representation and understanding, such as those maintained in circulation by mass and popular culture, have been challenged and contested, and the strategies of representation that have been adopted in order to do so. We will focus in particular on the recurring themes of hybridity, migration and diaspora, and in doing so, will also explore the perspective on France opened up by Algerian émigré filmmakers. Finally, we will consider the ways in which visual works have engaged with the phenomenon of revenants to Algeria, whether with reference to pieds noirs or French people of Algerian origin.
