Manchester University Press
8 Champs de bataille
Abstract
This chapter focuses on the different arenas through which claims for moral and material recognition have been pursued by pied-noir and harki activists in the last decade, focusing particularly on the courtroom, memory laws, monuments and museums. It demonstrates how campaigns have increasingly gravitated around the themes of victimhood, responsibility and repentance, all of which have experienced a heightened visibility both in France and globally. Exploring the champs de bataille, or ‘battlefields’, on which the ‘memory wars’ are currently being ‘fought’ this chapter illuminates the interplay between these domestic and international contexts. It also highlights debates surrounding the role the state does and should play in the commemoration of the War of Independence. Binding together these different elements is a preoccupation with the question of transmission as both pied-noir and harki activists consider how best to pass on the past to subsequent generations and thus ensure the longevity of their respective collective memories.
Abstract
This chapter focuses on the different arenas through which claims for moral and material recognition have been pursued by pied-noir and harki activists in the last decade, focusing particularly on the courtroom, memory laws, monuments and museums. It demonstrates how campaigns have increasingly gravitated around the themes of victimhood, responsibility and repentance, all of which have experienced a heightened visibility both in France and globally. Exploring the champs de bataille, or ‘battlefields’, on which the ‘memory wars’ are currently being ‘fought’ this chapter illuminates the interplay between these domestic and international contexts. It also highlights debates surrounding the role the state does and should play in the commemoration of the War of Independence. Binding together these different elements is a preoccupation with the question of transmission as both pied-noir and harki activists consider how best to pass on the past to subsequent generations and thus ensure the longevity of their respective collective memories.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- Acknowledgements viii
- List of abbreviations xi
- Maps xiii
- Introduction 1
-
Emergence, 1962–75
- 1 Creating a community 47
- 2 The sounds of silence 70
-
Consolidation, 1975–91
- 3 Creating an identity 101
- 4 Breaking the silence 138
-
Acceleration, 1991–2005
- 5 Hardening attitudes 171
- 6 Speaking out 202
-
Memory wars, 1999–2012
- 7 Friends and enemies 239
- 8 Champs de bataille 270
- Conclusion 294
- Select bibliography 308
- Index 326
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- Acknowledgements viii
- List of abbreviations xi
- Maps xiii
- Introduction 1
-
Emergence, 1962–75
- 1 Creating a community 47
- 2 The sounds of silence 70
-
Consolidation, 1975–91
- 3 Creating an identity 101
- 4 Breaking the silence 138
-
Acceleration, 1991–2005
- 5 Hardening attitudes 171
- 6 Speaking out 202
-
Memory wars, 1999–2012
- 7 Friends and enemies 239
- 8 Champs de bataille 270
- Conclusion 294
- Select bibliography 308
- Index 326
