constructions of the algerian war appelés in french cultural memory

269 Pages·2013·8.08 MB·English

i

CONSTRUCTIONS
 OF
 THE
 ALGERIAN
 WAR

APPELÉS
 IN
 FRENCH
 CULTURAL
 MEMORY

By
 Iain
 J.
 Mossman

A
 thesis
 submitted
 at
 the

Cardiff
 School
 of
 European
 Languages,
 Translation
 and
 Politics

in
 candidature
 for
 the
 degree
 of

Doctor
 of
 Philosophy
 in
 European
 Studies

on

22
 February
 2013
ii
SUMMARY
 OF
 THESIS

The Algerian War (1954-62) has been recognised by historians, sociologists and
cultural theorists as one of the most divisive episodes in recent French history.
Yet the historiography of the conflict is marked by periods when the war was
broadly absent from the national memorial sphere, contrasting against others
where violent memories of the conflict have coalesced around issues such as
immigration, torture, and historical education. This thesis articulates how these
and other social frameworks have influenced the cultural memory of the 1.2
million French military service conscripts, or appelés, who served during the
Algerian War. Taking a quantitative and qualitative approach, informed by a
Halbwachsian model of collective memory formation, and interdisciplinary
readings on the social frameworks of Algerian War memory in France, this thesis
thus outlines a historiography of constructions of the appelés in French cultural
memory, which pays due attention to the medium in which that memory is
constructed.
Beginning with an overview of a wide corpus of appelé cultural memories
from five media, through dialogue with historical, cultural and sociological
literature about the conscripts and models of Algerian War memory, the thesis
develops an appelé specific phasing of cultural memory. The thesis then advances
four case studies which each examine constructions of the appelés in a distinct
medium, and situates them within the appropriate phase in the evolution of appelé
cultural memory. These studies consider the construction of the appelés in: firstly,
television news magazine Cinq colonnes à la une (1959-60); secondly, two prose
texts, Philippe Labro’s Des Feux Mals Éteints (1967) and Noël Favrelière’s Le
Déserteur (1973); thirdly, Marc Garanger’s photo album La Guerre d’Algérie vue par
un appelé du contingent (1984); and finally, three sets of texts drawn from
contemporary online digital media.
iii
TABLE
 OF
 CONTENTS

Title
 Page………………………………………………………………………………
  i

Summary
 of
 Thesis………………………………………………………………
  ii

Table
 of
 Contents…………………………………………………………………
  iii

List
 of
 Illustrations………………………………………………………………
  vi

Declarations…………………………………………………………………………
  viii

Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………..
  ix

List
 of
 Acronyms…….……………………………………………………………
  x

Chapter
 1:

 Introduction:
 Constructions
 of
 the
 Algerian
  1

War
 appelés
 in
 French
 Cultural
 Memory

  Section
 1:
 Silence
 and
 the
 appelés………………………………..
  2

  Section
 2:
 Theoretical
 context……………………………………..
  8

  Section
 3:
 Models
 of
 Algerian
 War
 memory………………..
  12

  Stora
  13

  House
 and
 MacMaster
  17

  McCormack

  18

  Dine
  20

  Section
 4:
 Media
 and
 memory
 of
 the
 appelés………………
  22

  The
 Algerian
 War
 appelés
 through
 media
  23

  Trends
 in
 television
 and
 radio
  25

  Trends
 in
 publishing
  31

  Photographic
 books
  33

  Trends
 in
 cinema
  34

  Overall
 trends
  36

  Section
 5:
 Conclusion………………………………………………….
  39

Chapter
 2:

 Constructions
 of
 the
 Algerian
 War
 appelés
 in
  40

Cinq
 colonnes
 à
 la
 une
 (1959-­‐60)

  Section
 1:
 Introduction………………………………………………..
  41

  Section
 2:
 Social
 frameworks……………………………………….
  48

  i)
 Social
 perceptions
 of
 military
 service
 in
 Algeria
  48

  ii)
 Colonial
 imaginary
  50

  iii)
 Modernisation
  52

  iv)
 State
 framing
 of
 the
 Algerian
 War
 on
 television
  53

  Section
 3:
 Televisual
 Readings…………………………………….
  58

  i)
 Mission
 civilisatrice
 and
 pacification
  61

  ii)
 Colonial
 masculinity
  66

  iii)
 Family
 bonds
  71

  iv)
 The
 battlefield
  76

  Section
 4:
 Conclusion………………………………………………….
  80
iv
Chapter
 3:

 Constructions
 of
 the
 Algerian
 War
 appelés
 in
  84

French
 prose
 narratives
 (1967-­‐73)

  Section
 1:
 Introduction………………………………………………..
  85

  Theoretical
 approach
  88

  Section
 2:
 Social
 frameworks……………………………………….
  92

  Social
 amnesias
 and
 the
 Algerian
 War
  92

  Anti-­‐colonial
 theory
  96

  Section
 3:
 Textual
 Readings…………………………………………
  100

  Representing
 the
 contingent
  101

  Remembering
 the
 Second
 World
 War
  106

  Narrative
 strategies
 and
 memory
 discourses
  108

  Section
 4:
 Conclusion………………………………………………….
  112

Chapter
 4:

 Constructions
 of
 the
 Algerian
 War
 appelés
 in
  114

Marc
 Garanger’s
 La
 Guerre
 d’Algérie
 vue
 par

un
 appelé
 du
 contingent
 (1984)

  Section
 1:
 Introduction………………………………………………..
  115

  Contextual
 and
 theoretical
 readings
  116

  Photography
 and
 representation
  124

  Section
 2:
 Social
 frameworks……………………………………….
  129

  Immigration
 from
 the
 Maghreb
 in
 the
 1960s
 and
  129

1970s

  Mediatisation,
 Les
 Minguettes,
 and
 the
 Algerian
  133

War

  Section
 3:
 Photographic
 Readings……………………………….
  138

  Masculinity
  142

  Images
 of
 pacification
  148

  Images
 from
 the
 battlefield
  155

  Reception
 of
 the
 album
  158

  Section
 4:
 Conclusion………………………………………………….
  160

Chapter
 5:
  Constructions
 of
 the
 Algerian
 War
 appelés
 in
  163

online
 digital
 media

  Section
 1:
 Introduction………………………………………………..
  164

  Theoretical
 approach
  168

  Section
 2:
 Social
 frameworks……………………………………….
  175

Fracture
 coloniale
 and
 the
 instrumentalisation
 of
  175

Algerian
 War
 memory

  Victimisation
  182

  French
 military
 abuses
 in
 Algeria
  183

  Generational
 transmission
 of
 memory
  186
v
Chapter
 5:
 (cont.)

  Section
 3:
 Digital
 readings………….……………………………….
  190

  Victimisation
  190

  French
 military
 abuses
 in
 Algeria
  195

  Generational
 transmission
 of
 memory
  206

  Section
 4:
 Conclusion………………………………………………….
  214

Chapter
 6:
 Conclusion
  217

  From
 ‘le
 contingent’
 to
 ‘les
 appelés’………………………………
  221

  Reflections
 on
 media
 and
 memory...................................
  223

  Future
 directions………………………………………………………….
  224

Bibliography
  227

Appendix:
 Table
 of
 primary
 material
 used
 in
 Chapter
 1

  247
vi
TABLE
 OF
 ILLUSTRATIONS
Title
 Page:

Portrait
 of
 Norbert
 Senis,
 appelé
 in
 class
 ‘58
 2B.
  i

Chapter
 1:

 Introduction:
 Constructions
 of
 the
 Algerian

War
 appelés
 in
 French
 Cultural
 Memory

Figure
 1:

  Number
 of
 broadcasts/releases/publications
 per
 year
  24

which
 featured
 a
 construction
 of
 the
 appelés
 on

television,
 radio,
 film
 and
 in
 published
 books
 (1956–

2009)

Figure
 2:

 Number
 of
 TV
 programmes
 broadcast
 per
 year
  28

featuring
 a
 construction
 of
 the
 appelés
 (1956–2009)

Figure
 3:

  Number
 of
 radio
 programmes
 broadcast
 per
 year
  28

featuring
 a
 construction
 of
 the
 appelés
 (1956–2009)

Figure
 4:

 Comparison
 between
 TV
 and
 Radio
 broadcasts
  29

Figure
 5: Number
 of
 books
 published
 featuring
 a
 construction
 of
  31

the
 appelés
 per
 year
 (1956–2009)

Figure
 6:

 Number
 of
 films
 released
 featuring
 a
 construction
 of
  35

the
 appelés
 per
 year
 (1956–2009)

Figure
 7:

 Chart
 highlighting
 the
 relative
 patterns
 of
 cultural
  38

artefacts
 published/broadcasted/released
 per
 year
 in

France
 across
 Television,
 Radio
 and
 Print
 and
 Film

media
 which
 featured
 a
 construction
 of
 the
 Algerian

War
 appelés
 (1956-­‐2009)

Chapter
 4:

 Constructions
 of
 the
 Algerian
 War
 appelés
 in

Marc
 Garanger’s
 La
 Guerre
 d’Algérie
 vue
 par

un
 appelé
 du
 contingent
 (1984)

Figure
 8:

 ‘Le
 commandant
 Bencherif,
 de
 l’A.L.N.,
 fait
 prisonnier
  143

le
 25
 octobre
 1960.
 Le
 colonel
 français
 avait
 commandé

ce
 portrait
 pour
 le
 faire
 imprimer
 au
 dos
 d’un
 tract

délateur.
 La
 photographie
 n’a
 finalement
 pas
 été

utilisée.
 Aumale,
 novembre
 1960.’

Figure
 9:

 ‘Le
 tract’
  143

Figure
 10:
 'Militaire
 français
 fêtant
 le
 «
 Père
 Cent
 ».
 Aïn
 Terzine,
  145

juillet
 1960.’

Figure
 11:

 ‘Appelés
 du
 class
 58
 2/B
 fêtant
 le
 «
 Père
 Cent
 ».
 Aïn
  147

Terzine,
 octobre
 1960.'

Figure
 12:
 Après
 la
 décision
 du
 commandant
 de
 déplacer
 les
  149

habitants
 du
 douar
 des
 Rouabas
 dans
 le
 village
 de

regroupement
 de
 Meghnine,
 les
 hommes
 viennent

protester.
 Le
 commandant
 leur
 oppose
 d’abord
 un

«
 half-­‐track
 ».
 Aïn
 Terzine,
 mai
 1960.’
vii
Chapter
 4:
 (cont.)

Figure
 13:
 'Algérien,
 chef
 de
 village,
 venu
 porter
 plainte
 au
 3e
  151

bureau
 «
 Pacification
 »
 du
 secteur
 d'Aumale,
 contre
 le

commando
 11,
 pour
 coups
 et
 mauvais
 traitements.

Aumale,
 novembre
 1961.’

Figure
 14:
 'Saïd
 Bouakli,
 commissaire
 politique
 du
 F.L.N.,
 fait
  152

prisonnier
 à
 Bordj
 Okriss,
 le
 19
 mars
 1960.
 Blessé
 à
 la

jambe
 droite
 lors
 de
 son
 arrestation.
 Le
 certificat
 de

décès
 dit
 :
 «
 transfixion
 par
 balle
 de
 la
 jambe
 droite.
 —

Deux
 transfixions
 thoraciques
 par
 balles
 antéro-­‐

postérieures.
 —
 Transfixion
 crânienne
 par
 balle.
 »
 Le

constat
 de
 gendarmerie
 dit
 :
 «
 Il
 est
 décédé
 le
 25
 mars

1960
 des
 suites
 de
 ses
 blessures.
 »’

Figure
 15:
 ‘Soldats
 français
 «
 cueillis
 »
 par
 les
 balles
 des
  155

combattants
 F.L.N.
 A
 droite,
 gerbe
 de
 terre
 soulevée
 par

un
 impact
 de
 balle.
 Djebel
 el
 Kantara,
 mars
 1961.'

Figure
 16:
 Combattant
 F.L.N.
 fait
 prisonnier.
 Opération
 H.
  156

Octobre
 1960

Figure
 17:

 Fête
 de
 l'Aïd-­‐El-­‐Kebir.
 La
 Prière
 du
 matin.
 Bordj
 Okriss,
  159

mai
 1961.

Chapter
 5:
  Constructions
 of
 the
 Algerian
 War
 appelés
 in

online
 digital
 media

Figure
 18:
 Screenshot
 of
 the
 LeMonde.fr
 ‘Visuel
 Interactif’
  165

Figure
 19:
 Map
 of
 the
 location
 of
 viewers
 of
 'ALGERIE
 -­‐
 Les
  198

Auschwitz
 de
 la
 France
 en
 Algérie'

Figure
 20:
 Opening
 still
 from
 'ALGERIE
 -­‐
 Les
 Auschwitz
 de
 la
  200

France
 en
 Algérie'

Figure
 21:
 Still
 from
 'ALGERIE
 -­‐
 Les
 Auschwitz
 de
 la
 France
 en
  201

Algérie'
viii
DECLARATION

This work has not been submitted in substance for any other degree or award at
this or any other university or place of learning, nor is being submitted
concurrently in candidature for any degree or other award.
Signed: (Iain J. Mossman, Candidate) Date:

STATEMENT
 1

This thesis is being submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the
degree of PhD.
Signed: (Iain J. Mossman, Candidate) Date:

STATEMENT
 2

This thesis is the result of my own independent work/investigation, except where
otherwise stated. Other sources are acknowledged by explicit references. The
views expressed are my own.
Signed: (Iain J. Mossman, Candidate) Date:

STATEMENT
 3

I hereby give consent for my thesis, if accepted, to be available for photocopying
and for inter-library loan, and for the title and summary to be made available to
outside organisations.
Signed: (Iain J. Mossman, Candidate) Date:
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This much I know,
I would never have taken this project this far without the support of Claire
Gorrara and Rachael Langford. I know I will miss our supervision meetings: they
challenged me, they inspired me, and this thesis is stronger because of you both.
As am I.
Matt and Rob, thanks for sharing the ups and downs with me, and best of luck
wherever life takes you. To the myriad other PhD students I’ve crossed paths
with, thank you also. It can be a lonely journey, but I know now, with just a few
moments hindsight that it’s the friendships you remember and not the solitude.
I know Cardiff University has been kind to me too. EUROP, thanks for having
me, trusting in me, funding me, and I hope I gave back as much as I received.
This project was supported generously by the AHRC, to whom I also send my
thanks. To the UGC, thanks for the many opportunities and sharing a home with
me, and thanks also to my friends in the Grad Centre, and the Students’ Union.
My academic journey began in Leeds, and I know now how grateful I am for the
encouragement of Andy Stafford and Nina Wardleworth, as well as my entire
Masters cohort, who all helped bring this project about in their own little way.
Space begins to elude me and there are others whose friendship, guidance and
input I must recognise. Iain, Jon, Chris, Ben: I’ll soon be returning to the real
world! To the Stephens family: thanks for taking me in and prodding me in the
right directions, there’s lots of Moss-love coming your way. To all my friends
from in and out of Cardiff, thanks for providing the breaks from ‘thesis guilt’!
I am forever indebted for the lifelong investments my parents have made in me
and for their time, support and love. Thank you seems too easy, I love you seems
too trite, but I cannot find any better words.
Georgia, thanks for your patience, thanks for your joy. I know I’ve been
impossible sometimes, but I know also that this would mean nothing without you.
x
LIST
 OF
 ACRONYMS

AFN
  L’Afrique
 du
 Nord

ALN
  L’Armée
 de
 Libération
 Nationale

BNF
  La
 bibliothèque
 nationale
 de
 France

L’Association
 des
 Combattants
 en
 Algérie,
 Tunisie
 et

CATM

Maroc

L’établissement
 de
 communication
 et
 de
 production

ECPAD

audiovisuelle
 de
 la
 défense

FLN
  Le
 Front
 de
 Libération
 Nationale

FMA
  Français
 Musulman
 d’Algérie

FN
  Le
 Front
 Nationale

La
 Fédération
 Nationale
 des
 Anciens
 Combattants
 en

FNACA

Algérie

FSNA
  Français
 de
 Souche
 Nord-­‐Africaine

Le
 Gouvernement
 provisoire
 de
 la
 République

GPRA

algérienne

HLM
  Une
 habitation
 à
 loyer
 modéré

INA
  L’Institut
 National
 de
 l’Audiovisuel

JT
  Un
 Journal
 télévisé

MAT
  La
 Manufacture
 d’armes
 de
 Tulle

MNA
  Le
 Mouvement
 national
 algérien

OAS
  L’Organisation
 armée
 secrète

ONI
  L’Office
 National
 d’Immigration

ORTF
  L’Office
 de
 Radiodiffusion-­‐télévision
 française

RCP
  Le
 Régiment
 de
 Chasseurs
 Parachutistes

RTF
  La
 Radiodiffusion-­‐télévision
 française

SCA
  Service
 cinématographique
 des
 Armées

SHAT
  Service
 Historique
 des
 Armées
 de
 Terre

TF1
  La
 Télévision
 Française
 1

L’Union
 Nationale
 des
 Anciens
 Combattants
 en

l’UNCAFN

Afrique
 du
 Nord

ZUP
  Zone
 à
 Urbaniser
 en
 Priorité