The Serious Crisis Between Algeria And France Is An Extension Of A “Disabled” Memory

Historian Benjamin Stora believes that the current conflict overshadowing the French ruling elites, concerning their differing perceptions of how to rebuild relations with Algeria, is an extension of the crisis France experienced in the few months and years preceding the end of the brutal French colonialism in Algeria.

In a podcast widely circulated by Benjamin Stora, who heads the joint committee of historians investigating the memory file (from the French side), on his Facebook account on Monday, he spoke about the impact of Algeria’s independence on the collective memory of the French, especially the intellectual elites, and the repercussions of this on the post-independence phase in shaping the troubled bilateral relations.

In this podcast, accompanied by historian and journalist Thomas Snégaroff, he revealed many of the views that formed among the French from the crisis caused by the “Algerian War,” as it is called on the northern shore of the Mediterranean. However, he spoke of two prominent viewpoints that contributed to overshadowing other views.

Benjamin Stora described the French memory related to colonialism in Algeria as restricted or disabled, “because every French person has their own perception of Algeria as a former colony. There are those who view Algeria today as a lost paradise, and there are those who view it as colonialism, where people are forced to live below the level of humanity, where rights are absent, violence is present, and brutality dominates.”

The historian, who is presented in French media as an advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron on memory affairs, adds: “There was a group of French intellectuals who expressed their rejection of the colonial system, such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and the lawyer and human rights activist Gisèle Halimi. These are among the most prominent figures who expressed their rejection of this war imposed on Algeria.”

Benjamin Stora further explains: “…So, there are at least two contradictory visions, I say at least two because there are many other visions, at the crossroads between this lost paradise and this hell.” This stems from what he called “the trauma of abandonment or desertion or even betrayal, which are tragedies that have been passed down through generations,” which he described as “an inextricably intertwined story, because the memory of revenge is present here, as is the memory of resentment, and these are considerations that cannot be consoled.”

These two visions still dominate the political scene in France to this day. There is the far-right and the traditional right, who have not yet recovered from the shock of Algeria’s independence. One of the most prominent figures in this current is the sinister Éric Zemmour, who claimed just two days ago that General de Gaulle was the one who granted independence to Algeria, denying the immense sacrifices of the Algerians, and resenting General de Gaulle, claiming he squandered Algeria, as they say.

As for the second vision, it is represented today by the leftist current, which considers French colonialism in Algeria a dark period in France’s history, and that Paris today must apologize to the Algerians for the horrendous crimes committed by the occupation army throughout 132 years. This current also rejects the provocations that Algerians in France are subjected to and calls for correcting relations with Algeria.

For his part, historian Thomas Snégaroff believes that relations between Algeria and Paris are going through “a moment of extreme tension,” which has caused a state of “diplomatic rupture, which has reached a point that we hope is not a point of no return, but it is a very dangerous stage, mimicking a history that repeats itself, a repeated history that has produced a disabled memory.”

Snégaroff pointed out that “there were some consciences in France that said we were about to lose in Algeria. And that the heinous violence inflicted on the Algerian population was unacceptable for a country like France.” Despite this, some, the speaker added, sought not to talk about these vile practices.

For him, “each party wants to exploit this past with all its tragedies in the French political scene, and the unfortunate thing is that Algerian-French relations were ultimately the main victim.

Many people have social and intimate ties that are being harmed today, and this is the data that pushes us to dissect this rupture or wound, because the rupture is not only at the geopolitical level, it is internal and often psychological and social as well.”