French colonization and the consequent War of Independence in Algeria have marked contemporary French society deeply in numerous ways. Since the s, academics have observed an increase in the political use of memory. While the literature has often employed psychoanalytical concepts to interpret this resurgence of the repressed, I argue that these readings are in fact designed to be present incursions into the past, serving to legitimate contemporary political projects.
This is because new political actors and projects have emerged defending certain visions of the past in order to bolster present ambitions. In recent years, France has also experienced a rise of both far-right nationalist movements and Islamism. These radical formations continue to instrumentalize the history and memories of colonization and the war in Algeria to legitimate their discourses. In a fast-changing world, radical groups promote the rehabilitation of a reassuring past in which racial hierarchies and endogamy are associated with prestige and stability.
Thus, while trying to come to terms with the past, memory policies might actually contribute to its resurgence, as they tend to focus on discourses rather than social frustrations.
More than years of colonization in Algeria, a violent war of independence β62 as well as consecutive waves of exile and migration have marked contemporary French society deeply in numerous ways.
The demographic record speaks for itself. In , 2 million soldiers, 1. These people have had children and grandchildren. Today, we estimate that about 15 per cent of the French population has a direct link with this history.
