Why are women always excluded from the retelling of historical events? This overlooked segment of the population plays a far greater role in rebellions and the resistance than we are led to believe. In the Algerian revolution women proved indispensable, holding greater importance to the resistance than their male counterparts. This article aims to rectify male-centric history by focusing on the historical impact of Algerian women.
The Algerian War of Independence took place from Nov. 1st 1954 to March 19th 1962, and resulted in eventual freedom from French colonial interference on July 5th 1962. The aim of the French was to first colonise Algeria’s women as a means of subjugating the entire country. They achieved this by targeting the veil, which was understood as something to be conquered. In doing so, Algerian women would be ‘saved’ from their uncivilised society. These Orientalist notions stem from European racism as colonialists held a superiority complex that their presence in the ‘East’, itself a concept coined by imperialism, was aiding the ‘Other’. Consequently, the French held public unveilings of women, an act described by Helie-Lucas as “public rape”. As a result, women were just as anxious to be liberated from the French as the nationalist Algerian men. They aided the fight for independence in various ways from nursing, tailoring, collecting food, funds, and ammunition, to supervising hiding places and being armed fighters or terrorists. One of their vital contributions to the resistance’s success involved smuggling necessary items such as weapons and bombs in their veils. However, Algerian women, who carried out similar tasks as their male counterparts, were viewed as fulfilling their role as nurturers while the men were seen as fighters. It seemed that “…only the French army acknowledged [womens’] action by imprisoning and torturing [them] in concentration camps and killing [them]”.
The feminist question was considered of secondary importance in relation to nationalism, and after independence women were told to prioritise the nation-building process. Thus, women gave up their wartime roles and returned to the private sphere. Then, the veil was imposed onto Algerian women by Algerian men who intended to heal the wounds of colonialism. Women experienced a two-fold oppression; firstly by the French for her race, and secondly by her own race in the name of tradition. It wasn’t until the 2000s that Algerian feminism materialised, but it was this movement that allowed for women to re-enter the public sphere for the first time since the war. History often overlooks the impact and sacrifices of women in the resistance, but Algerian women were essential for their country’s independence.
By Keziah Taylor