Uncivil War FROM THE PUBLISHER
"Uncivil War is a study of the intellectuals who confronted the loss of France's most prized overseas possession, colonial Algeria. Tracing the intellectual history of one of the most violent wars of European decolonization, James D. Le Sueur illustrates how such key figures as Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Germaine Tillion, Jacques Soustelle, Raymond Aron, Claude Levi-Strauss, Albert Memmi, Frantz Fanon, Mouloud Feraoun, Jean Amrouche, and Pierre Bourdieu agonized over the "Algerian question". As Le Sueur argues, these and other individuals forged new notions of the nation and nationalism, giving rise to a politics of identity that continues to influence debate around the world. Indeed, the French-Algerian War occupies a seminal place in colonial and contemporary history." "An interdisciplinary work of the first order, Uncivil War combines anthropology, history, critical theory, and postcolonial studies in an intimate look at a pivotal and highly contested movement in modern history."--BOOK JACKET.
SYNOPSIS
Uncivil War is a provocative study of the intellectuals who confronted the loss of France's most prized overseas possession, colonial Algeria. Tracing the intellectual history of one of the most violent wars of European decolonization, James D. Le Sueur illustrates how such key figures as Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Germaine Tillion, Jacques Soustelle, Raymond Aron, Claude Lﾽvi-Strauss, Albert Memmi, Frantz Fanon, Mouloud Feraoun, Jean Amrouche, and Pierre Bourdieu agonized over the "Algerian question."
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Forceful, well-argued, and superbly researched. This work opens up new
ground. — (David L. Schalk, author of War and the Ivory Tower)
Thoroughly up-to-date and combines ease of accessibility with genuine
erudition and scholarly rigor throughout. — (Philip D. Dine, author of
Images of the Algerian War)
The chapter on Camus alone is worth the price of the book. — (William B. Cohen, Indiana University)
To tell the role played by French and Algerian intellectuals in Algeria's
war of liberation, one of the longest and most terrible in history, needed
a historian who was both meticulous and rigorous, one not only capable of
interpreting archives and questioning witnesses but sensitive and
understanding enough to feel deeply and communicate the tragic experiences
of this 'uncivil war.' — (Pierre Bourdieu, from the Foreword)
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