Imperial Identities: Stereotyping, Prejudice and Race in Colonial Algeria (Society and Culture in the Modern Middle East)

Using Colonial Algeria As The Starting Point Of Her Analysis, Patricia Lorcin Explores The Manner In Which Ethnic Categories And Cultural Distinctions Are Developed And Used In Society. She Focuses On The Colonial Images Of 'good' Kabyle And 'bad' Arab (usually Referred To As The Kabyle Myth) And Examines The Circumstances Out Of Which They Arose, As Well As The Intellectual And Ideological Influences Which Shaped Them. Her Study Demonstrates How These Images Were Used To Negate The Underlying Beliefs And Values Of The Dominated Society And To Impose French Cultural, Social And Political Values. By Tracing The Evolution Of Ethnic Categories Over Time, Lorcin Reveals Their Inherently Unstable Nature And The Continual Process Of Redefinition In Accordance With Circumstance And Political Or Social Expediency.--book Jacket. Two Less Known Aspects Of French Colonial Rule In Algeria Figure Centrally In This Book. The First Is The Way In Which The Underlying Discourse And Category Formation Revolved Around French Apprehension Of Islam And The Perceived Need To Render It Socially, Culturally And Politically Impotent. The Second Is The Contribution Of French Military Officers In Algeria To The Emergence Of Science As An Essential Part Of The Colonial Enterprise.--book Jacket. Ranging Through Rich And Varied Material, Much Of It Unfamiliar To English-speaking Readers, This Book Will Be Of Great Interest To Students Of Imperialism, Race And Ethnicity And Intellectual History.--book Jacket. Pt. I. Algeria 1830-1870. 1. The Conquest: Kabyles And Arabs In Warfare. 2. Security And Reconnaissance Part 1: The Elaboration And Confirmation Of Categories. 3. Security And Reconnaissance Part 2: Islam And Society. 4. The 'royaume Arabe' (1860-1870) -- Pt. Ii. Social Sciences And Military Men. 5. The Ecole Polytechnique, Saint-simonianism And The Army. 6. Race And Scholarship In Algeria: The Impact Of The Military. 7. Scholarly Societies In France: The Kabyle Myth As A Racial Paradigm -- Pt. Iii. Algeria 1871-1900: The Eclipse Of The Kabyle Myth. 8. Civilian Rule. 9. Algeria, The Melting-pot Of The Mediterranean: The Impact Of Louis Bertrand -- Pt. Iv. The Legacy. 10. Persistent Stereotypes And Resultant Policies -- 11. Conclusion. Patricia M.e. Lorcin. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 310-314) And Index. This account of Algerian history explores the process through which ethnic categories and cultural distinctions were developed and used as instruments of social control in a colonial society.