The issue of identity has consistently played a vital role in social, cultural and political debates in and about Algeria. Identities on both sides of the Mediterranean have been shaped via complex processes that have highlighted themes such as history, memory, culture, language, ethnicity, gender, religion, exile and generational belonging: all of which have functioned, in specific ways, as sites of identification and contestation. Through these points of reference, diverse identities have been constructed; ideologies and beliefs forged; power and control claimed or challenged; and the destiny of Algerians and Algeria fostered, denied or imposed. In France, the distinct yet overlapping diasporic identities that emerged before, and more specifically after, independence in 1962 also bear witness to the salience of Algeria, both experienced and imagined, as a contentious and shifting marker of belonging, conflict and reconciliation.

To coincide with the 50th anniversary of Algerian independence, this interdisciplinary conference seeks to explore the ways in which identities have been shaped by and, in turn, have informed Algeria during the colonial and postcolonial eras. Bringing together scholars working on various aspects of history, politics, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, literature, history of art, language/linguistics, and the visual arts, the intention is to foster a holistic appreciation of the significance of this major historical turning point and its afterlives.

Keynote speakers:

• Dr Sylvie Thénault, Chargée de recherches, CNRS (Centre d’histoire sociale du XXe siècle).
• Prof Martin Evans, Professor of Contemporary European History, Portsmouth University.
• Dr James McDougall, University Lecturer in 20th Century History, Laithwaite Fellow and Tutor in Modern History at Trinity College, University of Oxford.

For further details and an online booking facility please click here.