Week 8 Notes

Week 8- Memory in France and Algeria (WWII and the French Algerian War)

Mon 3/8: Discussion of Indigenés and North Africans in WWII

Discussed:

Looking back to last week: what do we take away from the memory of the Holodomor?

  • cultural contexts of memorials – Soviet, Ukrainian folk culture, diaspora, religious
  • Importance in media in memory – when are these things reported and not reported? Ignored in the 1930s, payed attention to in the 1980s.
  • Why was the Holodomor not remembered as much as other atrocities? Suppression, what fits into the popular narrative?
  • Thin line between perpetrator and victim – as seen in Mattingly’s work.
  • Today – fear of Russian domination in Ukraine – how does that influence memory?

French Colonialism & Memory

  • Long history of colonialism in Africa, South America, Central America, South Asia, Middle East
  • Justified by a “civilizing mission” of assimilation – from 20 c. onward it became more about association
  • de-colonization was a 20th century movement
  • WWI – beginning of anti-colonial movement, with Willson’s 14 points and promises of self-determination
  • After WWII- broad movements of resistance and overthrowing colonial governments.
  • 1954-1962 – Algerians fought against French for independence
  • What about France today? Legacy of colonialism, fights over memory between pro-France Algerians (Harkis), former French settlers (Pieds Noirs), immigrants, French government
  •  rise of Islamophobia and right-wing politics – in response to a multicultural French society and immigration (Marine Le Pen – of the National Rally)
  • Emmanuel Macron tries to take a centrist position on issues of immigration, empire, and memory

Presentation on Film and French-Colonial Troops- Collin and Matthew

  • Colonial Soldiers were sent during WWI and WWII
  • Came from North Africa, Vietnam. Latin America
  • Mainly served as supply lines – didn’t fight on the front lines in WWI but did fight on the front lines
  • Colonial troops were always marginalized, mistreated, and not given the same recognition/celebration
  • released in 2006 – sparked political debate surrounding treatment of colonial soldiers
  • production was sponsored by France, Morocco, Algeria, Belgium
  • main controversy surrounded military pensions for WWII which were less for colonial veterans than French veterans.
  • Two interpretations: colonial troops fought bravely for France vs. colonial troops were not given fair treatment in military or civilian life
  • Film shows the persistent discrimination that they faced throughout the film
  • What do the characters represent? – reasons why French soldiers joined the war and why they became disillusioned with these decisions
  • What was the impact of this film? underscored the wars of memory of how to remember these soldiers
  • Films can help us remember, but are always a product of their times and the people who made them
  • Film was received in drastically different ways

Questions about the film to consider:

  • What role does film play in remembering history?
  • Are movies such as Days of Glory a good way of conveying memory?
  • Should historical movies be funded by nation(s)?
  • How many movie scripts do think have remained unseen because of funding?
  • Are movies about memory just a politicized as the memory itself?

Wed 3/`10: Memory of the French Algerian War 

Discussed: 

The Algerian War – Context:

  • Happened within the context of de-colonization
  • FLN (National Liberation Front) vs. French Military
  • FLN used violent protest to become an independent state (500k-1million dead)
  • Marked by terrorism by the FLN and torture on the side of France
  • A crisis of the French state
  • FLN continues to be the dominant party in Algeria
  • Not acknowledged in France (“the war without a name”)
  • Not until the 1990s was the war acknowledged by the French government
  • Today, is the source of great controversy and wars of memory

Battle of Algiers (1966)

see presentation here

Amy Hubble: personal memory vs. collective memory

  • Stories of the victims of a bombing of a milk bar during the French Algerian War who place the blame on different forces and
  • Bombing was committed by Zhora Drif, sees herself as a part of a larger movement and was heroicized in Algeria
  • Are the memories of the victims and Drif reconcilable?
  • Can we identify with both? What are the moral implications here?

Dylan: Memorial to the French Algerian War in France

  • three pillars with LED lights that scroll through the names of soldiers, messages from soldiers, soldiers and civilians from North Africa
  • inaugurated in 2002
  • close to the Eiffel Tower, open to the public

Turner: Memorial to the French Algerian War in Algiers

  • Martyr’s Memorial in Algiers
  • constructed in 1992
  • a 302-feet tall building with three large support ‘fins’ and statues of Algerian freedom fighters.
  • at the center of the building, there is an eternal flame that is guarded by soldiers – represents the eternal nature of the nation of Algeria
  • constructed on an old military base on a hill so that it could be seen throughout the city

How do these memorials compare? How do these memorials compare to other French memorials?

Benjamin Stora

  • Recommends a “truth and memory” council in France
  • Can the memories be reconciled? At first he said no, but is now reconsidering
  • Detailed how the memory of the French Algerian War was forgotten in France

What’s next?

Memory of the Spanish Civil War