3 ‘Women who struggle’: decolonisation and the Algerian War, 1954–62
The French invaded Algeria in 1830. They expanded their presence, culminating in the annexation of Algeria as a colony in 1837. In the new Constitution of 1848, the occupied Algerian territory was recognised not as a colony, but as an integral part of France itself.
Algerian nationalism had its roots in the interwar period, when influential Algerian nationalist groups were founded by Messali Hadj (1898–1974) and Ferhat Abbas (1899–1985). On 1 November 1954, a series of attacks were carried out across Algeria, killing ten people. A newly formed organisation, the National Liberation Front (Front de libération nationale, or FLN), claimed responsibility for the attacks and issued a declaration setting out its aims. This marked the beginning of the Algerian War of Independence.
Although the leaders of the FLN and of the French government were all men, women played a crucial role in the Algerian War. By the end of the revolution the number of muhajidat (‘women who struggle’), amounted to 10,949 (Salhi, 2009). The rural women who joined the FLN, generally consisted of young, unmarried women who left home to join guerrilla groups. Urban women involved in the FLN, known as fidayat (‘self-sacrificers’), carried out paramilitary activities in Algerian cities. The best-known activities of the fidayat took place during the Battle of Algiers (1956–7), where dozens of women planted bombs. Indeed, it was thought that women aroused less suspicion than men and were therefore especially successful at planting bombs in areas frequented by settlers. Frantz Fanon (1925–1961), a psychiatrist from the French colony of Martinique and member of the FLN, remarked:
Carriers of machine guns, hand-grenades, hundreds of forged identity cards, or bombs, the unveiled Algerian woman swims like a fish in the Western waters. The military, the French patrols smile at her as she passes, compliment her on her physical appearance, but no one suspects that in her briefcase lays the machine gun, which in a short while will be used to shoot four or five members of a patrol.
Women also helped win international support for the FLN’s cause. Djamila Boupacha (1938–) was one notable example. After planting bombs in Algiers she was arrested by the French authorities. In custody, she was subjected to torture and rape and forced to sign a confession, after which she was sentenced to death. Her cause was taken up by intellectuals in France, including Simone de Beauvoir, and Pablo Picasso produced a portrait of her. Boupacha’s death sentence was commuted, and she was eventually freed from prison.
Activity 3 Listening to women’s voices
Zohra Drif (1934–) wrote a book about her experiences Inside the Battle for Algiers: Memoir of a Woman Freedom Fighter (2013). In the video below she spoke to Georgetown University about her role in the campaign for Algerian independence.
The video deals with some themes related to suicide. If you need additional support on this subject, please contact Samaritans [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .
Watch the video and think about the questions:
- What reasons did Drif give for participating in the struggle?
- What actions did women take and why were they best suited for them?
Transcript
Historian Zahia Smail Salhi has argued that ‘The rebellion of Algerian women had two fronts: it was simultaneously a rebellion against the colonial occupation and against the restrictive attitudes of traditional Algerian society’ (2009, p. 116). Women were able to become active participants in public politics rather than being confined to the home. In the aftermath of the Algerian independence two factions – liberal and conservative – struggled for power. Conservatives saw a return to traditional gender roles as part of the restoration of an authentic Islamic culture. Many women felt betrayed that freedom from colonialism had not brought with it full equality and liberation for them.
Activity 4 Women’s liberation: fighting colonialism / fighting patriarchy
This articleexplores the role of women in the struggle for Algerian independence (1753 words). Read it and answer these questions:
- What were conditions like for women prior to the Algerian War?
- How did their participation challenge both patriarchy (masculine power structures) and colonialism?
Discussion
- Women in Algeria were subject to domination and abuse by French soldiers. Rape was used as a gendered form of violence to humiliate women and ‘dishonour’ their families. The French led campaigns which claimed to ‘liberate’ Algerian Muslim women by unveiling them. At the same time women also experienced forms of patriarchal oppression within their own communities which were often centred on traditional values. They were expected to fulfil gendered roles within the home and education was limited. Women’s bodies became politicised as different forms of male power were exerted in an attempt to control them.
- Participation in the liberation struggle allowed women to act autonomously to take control of their own bodies as well as the future of their country. They were fighters and were directly involved in public politics outside of the home – this challenged traditional expectations of gender.