2025/12/01 by Yazid Ben Hounet · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #North African History and Literature #African Studies and Geopolitics #Hispanic-African Historical Relations
paper · doi:10.1080/14623528.2025.2596388
openalex publication_date 2025/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/12/01 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/14
This paper addresses the issue of genocide in Algeria, as discussed in recent scientific research and by the Algerian people and authorities. It aims to demonstrate how this subject haunts France's colonial history in Algeria, and how it is currently perceived and discussed locally. By the “continuous spectre of genocide,” we mean to highlight both the ongoing threat of extermination and the variations in its manifestations. Having discussed recent developments in historical research on wars of extermination in Algeria and genocide in the colonies, we will examine the case of the Laghouat massacre (December 1852), which took place in southern Algeria. We will also examine how this event is currently being studied and debated by the town's civil society groups, as well as by local and national authorities. Finally, we will reflect on the potential contributions of anthropology to the study of genocide and other colonial crimes, a topic that has more extensively been explored by historians.