Uncivil War: Intellectuals and Identity Politics During the Decolonization of Algeria [Hardcover]

James D. Le Sueur (Author), Pierre Bourdieu (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2001

Uncivil War is a provocative study of the intellectuals who confronted the loss of France's most prized overseas possession, colonial Algeria. Tracing the intellectual history of one of the most violent wars of European decolonization, James D. Le Sueur illustrates how such key figures as Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Germaine Tillion, Jacques Soustelle, Raymond Aron, Claude Levi-Strauss, Albert Memmi, Frantz Fanon, Mouloud Feraoun, Jean Amrouche, and Pierre Bourdieu agonized over the "Algerian question."

As Le Sueur argues, these and other individuals forged new notions of the nation and nationalism, giving rise to a politics of identity that continues to influence debate around the world. Indeed, the French-Algerian War occupies a seminal place in colonial and contemporary history.

How did these varied intellectuals—many of whom had been influential in either shaping or critiquing the ideology of colonial enterprise—reconstruct French national identity during decolonization? How was Algerian national identity also reconceptualized, in both intellectual and political circles, French and Algerian, on both right and left? How was the colonial notion of French universalism debated and, by many, invalidated? What has the politically charged concept of "the Other" to do with Algeria's decolonization? Le Sueur turns to a wide array of public archives, previously unstudied private collections, interviews, and published works to examine the dynamism of these inquiries. He investigates Franco-Muslim relations from reconciliation to rupture, a transition resulting from the rise of anticolonialism, political radicalism, military extremism, and Algerian nationalism, as well as the looming threat of civil war in France. As Le Sueur reveals, it was incumbent upon the intellectuals of the day to respond to these crises in the public arena. Whether to celebrate decolonization or decry it as a turning point in French and North African history, intellectuals engaged fully in identity debates and, in so doing, attended to a variety of political, social, moral, and even their own professional concerns.

An interdisciplinary work of the first order, Uncivil War combines anthropology, history, critical theory, and postcolonial studies in an intimate look at a pivotal and highly contested moment in modern history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Le Sueur displays a very solid understanding of the military, political, and social history of the French-Algerian War, as well as the broader histories of the French Republic and of the French colonial empire. His work is thoroughly up-to-date and combines ease of accessibility with genuine erudition and scholarly rigor throughout."—Philip D. Dine, author of Images of the Algerian War: French Fiction and Film, 1954-1992

"This book is beautifully researched. Le Sueur has not just based his work on the huge amount of published material; he also found rich archival sources that I don't think anyone imagined would be available. Some telling personal interviews with the major actors give the book an added sense of their anguish during the war. . . . The chapter on Camus alone is worth the price of the book."—William B. Cohen, Indiana University

"Uncivil War is an invaluable record of the often neglected influence of metropolitan and colonial intelligentsia on the course of anticolonial struggles, and of the weight of colonial violence in shaping and consolidating 'identity politics' in Algerian and France. . . . Indispensable reading for reassessing the greater historical significance of the Algerian War."—Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations

"Forceful, well-argued, and superbly researched. This work opens up new ground."—David L. Schalk, author of War and the Ivory Tower: Algeria and Vietnam

"In Uncivil War, James D. Le Sueur draws from a wealth of interviews and private papers to offer important insights into the contested issues of identity politics among French and Algerian intellectuals during the French-Algerian War, 1954-62."—Journal of Modern History

From the Publisher

Pierre Bourdieu, from the Foreword
"To tell the role played by French and Algerian intellectuals in Algeria's war of liberation, one of the longest and most terrible in history, needed a historian who was both meticulous and rigorous, one not only capable of interpreting archives and questioning witnesses but sensitive and understanding enough to feel deeply and communicate the tragic experiences of this 'uncivil war.'"

Uncivil War is a provocative study of the intellectuals who confronted the loss of France's most prized overseas possession, colonial Algeria. Tracing the intellectual history of one of the most violent wars of European decolonization, James D. Le Sueur illustrates how such key figures as Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Germaine Tillion, Jacques Soustelle, Raymond Aron, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Albert Memmi, Frantz Fanon, Mouloud Feraoun, Jean Amrouche, and Pierre Bourdieu agonized over the "Algerian question."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press (April 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812235886
• ISBN-13: 978-0812235883
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,708,572 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James Dean Le Sueur is professor of history at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He received his PhD at the University of Chicago and is a leading authority on European decolonization, the French-Algerian war, and Algerian history. He is author of several works, including "Uncivil War: Intellectuals and Identity Politics during the Decolonization of Algeria" and most recently "Algeria since 1989: Between Terror and Democracy." Known for his extensive editing projects, he edited "The Decolonization Reader" and oversaw the republication of Henri Alleg's celebrated and controversial book, "The Question" -- the work that opened the torture debate in France during the French-Algerian war. In addition, Professor Le Sueur oversaw the English editions of Mouloud Feraoun's two masterpieces, "Journal, 1955-1962-Reflections on the French-Algerian War" and "The Poor Man's Son," as well as several other important works by other authors. In 2003, he was appointed senior associate member of the Middle East Centre at St. Antony's College, Oxford. He is currently completing a feature documentary about exiled writers from Muslim-majority countries and is filming a second feature documentary on the topic of pre-9/11 terrorism in the United States.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT INTELLECTUAL READ!, May 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Uncivil War: Intellectuals and Identity Politics During the Decolonization of Algeria (Hardcover)

This book is based, in large part, on private and never before seen archives of key public intellectuals during the decolonization of Algeria. Scholars who focus on decoloniztion and post-colonial studies will find this work provocative and enlightening, with far-reaching implications for today's world. Some notable characteristics of the book include the following: this is the first book to really look at conversations between French and Algerian intellectuals during decolonization; also, Pierre Bourdieu wrote a very moving forward about his relationship with Mouloud Feraoun before Feraoun was assassinated by the OAS; the chapter on Camus is fascinating and relies largely on his private papers; Le Sueur's critical analysis of the concept of the "Other" and its use by various intellectuals provides a refreshing and critical perspective. This book makes a unique contribution to fields of study such as history, anthropology, sociology, post-colonial studies, education, cultural studies, decolonization studies, and African studies. It's definitely a great read!