Overview

Alongside the diplomatic struggles of the early Cold War, European politicians worked to shape emotions about the postwar order—advocating fear of communism and hope for postwar recovery. In this context, the French Empire in North Africa emerged as one important emotional battleground, where Algerian nationalists and anti-colonial campaigners challenged French narratives about imperial pride and native hysteria. During the Algerian War (1954–1962), emotions thus became a pivotal part of the independence struggle. Accordingly, Decolonizing Emotions tracks affective politics during the revolution, focusing on members of the Front de libération nationale (FLN), Combattants de la libération (CDL), and Jeune Résistance. Delving into the manifestos, poetry, and personal diaries of anti-colonial activists, the book reveals a rich world of transgressive sentiments, emotional exile, and affective border-crossings. The stories that surface show how Algerians used biopower to combat an affective regime that refused native populations the right to be angry. The book further chronicles how Europeans complicated ideas of humanitarian pity and confronted the French production of political apathy. It is a history that holds modern relevance, speaking to contemporary debates over race relations and national pride, the pathologizing of Muslim emotions, and the contested process of how myths die (demythologization).

Full Product Details

Author:   Christiane-Marie Abu Sarah
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   I.B. Tauris
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   0.454kg
ISBN:  

9780755652891

ISBN 10:   0755652894
Pages:   288
Publication Date:   19 September 2024
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

List of Figures Acknowledgements Introduction: On Self-Immolation and Emotional Decolonization Chapter 1 The Encircled Corpse Death, Intimacy, & the Making of the Algerian Revolution Chapter 2 The Lowly Toad, the Foolish French, and the Moral Maquisard: Algerian Morality Tales Chapter 3 Blood on Fire: Revolutionary Dignity and the Emotional War for Algerian Decolonization Chapter 4 Profile of a “Pain-in-the-Ass Militant”: Personality Traits, Emotions, and the French Border-Crossing Chapter 5 The Corpse Dressed in Lace: Constructing a Community of Revolt Chapter 6 On Trial with Antigone and Christ Crucified: French Suitcase-Carriers against the Colonial Myth Conclusion: The Activist Immolated Bibliography

Reviews

Decolonizing Emotions in French Algeria offers an exciting and important new approach to the history of the decolonization of French Algeria through its focus on emotion. It uses a wide range of source material to tell the history of both how emotions drove activism and action, as well as how groups weaponized emotions in the battle over public opinion. * Sara Rahnama, Professor, Morgan State University, USA *

Author Information

Christiane-Marie Abu Sarah is Assistant Professor and Director of International Studies in the Department of History and Political Science at Erskine College. Specializing in the modern Middle East, Global Cold War, and conflict studies, she previously worked with the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy, & Conflict Resolution and Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University.

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