L’islam comme vecteur d’émancipation et de résistance dans l’Algérie coloniale : l’Émir Abd el-Kader face à la conquête française, 1830-1847

Details

Supervisors

Costantino, Paonessa

Faculty

Faculté de philosophie, arts et lettres

Degree label

Master [120] en histoire, à finalité didactique

Abstract

enNineteenth-century Algeria was profoundly disrupted by the French conquest initiated in 1830, which destabilised existing political, social and religious structures. This dissertation seeks to understand how Islam served as a vehicle for emancipation and resistance against French colonisation through the figure of Emir Abd el-Kader between 1830 and 1847. It shows that Islam was not merely a spiritual framework, but also a language of legitimacy, a network of solidarity and a principle of collective organisation. The study examines the role of Sufi brotherhoods, zawiyas and religious figures in the mobilisation of Algerian populations, while also analysing how French authorities perceived Islam as an obstacle to be controlled. Abd el-Kader appears to have transformed his religious, moral and political authority into a genuine project of resistance and alternative sovereignty. Overall, this dissertation argues that Algerian resistance cannot be reduced to a military reaction, but must be understood as an attempt at political, social and spiritual reconstruction in the face of colonial domination.