Colonization In Algeria

When talking about the lasting effects of colonization on a developing country, Algeria is a country that immediately comes to mind. It is a country whose culture, as well as conflicts, has been almost entirely rooted as a lasting legacy of colonization. Algeria is located in Northern Africa, possessing a terrain that is generally split into the mountainous Mediterranean of the north and the deserts (including the Sahara) of the south (Algeria) .In order to understand how the French maintained such a strong hold in Algerian policy and culture, it is important to understand some historical context of the country. Algeria had been previously occupied by the Ottoman empire, until they were ultimately invaded by the French in 1830 (Balch). Algerians …show more content…
Today, Algeria is still deeply embedded in French culture, with the majority of the country’s population being able to speak, read, write, or understand French. Following independence, Arabic nationalists tried to implement language policies that would culminate in the loss of French language as a prominent force in Algerian literacy. This was a failure failure, considering today Algeria is the second highest French-speaking country in the world (Benrabah). However, the legacy of colonization can be more prominently seen in the lack of language consistency in Algeria. The official language of Algeria today is Arabic, with the majority of the country speaking it as their first language. As mentioned previously there was a great deal of controversy surrounding the continuity of the French language in Algeria. A huge negative French language has had in Algeria is it has created a social hierarchy that is still present today. Algerian nationalists in particular feel that use of French undermines the Arab heritage of the Algerians, and belittles their history and culture by glorifying the colonization period