Tribes in Kabylie?

Presentation

The 2001 uprising in Kabylie (Algeria) and its coverage in politics and the media raised questions regarding the realities of tribes (arsh) today. This work, which combines history and ethnology, first proposes an epistemological reflection on the anthropological concept of the “tribe”, in order to compare it with the diverse tribal realities of the Berber region, and to characterize tribes in Kabylie. It shows that tribal referents are part of classificatory categories that underpin self-representation. As the example of one tribe demonstrates, an experienced and represented tribal space has been maintained, old institutions have adapted to various political orders, and initiatives have flourished that multiply the accepted meanings of the term arsh. This reflects the construction of new modes of mobilization that are part of a identity affirmation process underwa y now for more than a century, which, since the 1990s, has led to the reconstruction of identity on a local scale, concerning various cultural objects, memory and language.

Author

Malika Assam is a lecturer in Berber Language(s) and Culture(s) at the Institute of Research and Study on the Arab and Islamic Worlds (IREMAM) at Aix-Marseille University. Her research focuses on the social structures of Berber-speaking societies and their historic changes in response to States and social movements, on the construction of Amazigh identity, and on the development of Berber/Amazigh studies today.

456 pages
16 x 24 cm
Publication: 13/09/2022
ISBN: 9782858314119