Algeria,1830-2000: A Short History FROM THE PUBLISHER
A particularly vicious and bloody civil war has racked Algeria for a decade. Amnesty International notes that since 1992, in a population of 28 million, 80,000 people have been reported killed, and the actual total is almost certainly higher. This terrible war overshadows Algeria's long and complex history and its prominence on the world economic stage—second in size among African nations, Algeria has the longest Mediterranean coastline and contains the world's fifth-largest natural gas reserves.
Algeria, 1830-2000 is a comprehensive narrative history of the country. Benjamin Stora, widely recognized as the leading expert on Algeria, presents the story of this turbulent area from the start of formal French colonialism in the early nineteenth century, through the prolonged war for independence in the latter 1950s, to the internal strife of the present day.
This book adapts and updates three short volumes published originally in French by La Dﾽcouverte. For this English edition, Stora has written a new introductory chapter on Algeria's colonial period (1830-1954) and has revised the final section to bring the volume up to date.
About the Authors:
Benjamin Stora is Professor of History at the University of Paris, Saint Denis. He is the author of a dozen books on North Africa and the Arab communities of France, including La Gangrﾽne et l'oubli, la mﾽmoire de la guerre d'Algﾽrie.
Jane Marie Todd lives in Portland, Oregon.
William B. Quandt is Edward R. Stettinius Professor of Government and Foreign Affairs and Director of the Middle East Studies Program at the University of Virginia.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Benjamin Stora's scholarly and readable text fills a major gap in English language literature about modern Algeria. This sensitive and detailed analysis of the past half century of turbulence in Algeria provides a wealth of information about the dynamics of Algerian society. Its reader will gain a rare perspective on the interplay of forces behind Algeria's current tragedy. — (Richard W. Murphy, Council on Foreign Relations)
This is a remarkable book: simultaneously a clear, simple account of modern Algerian history that will be accessible to newcomers to Algerian affairs, and a subtle, sophisticated interpretation of recent events that will provoke and satisfy those who know the country well. Algeria's complex and tortured history has long seemed to be a challenge to capture and convey; Stora's masterful account makes it seem easy. — (Lisa Anderson, Dean of the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University)
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