France and the memories of ‘others’: The case of the Harkis

Enjelvin, G. and Korac-Kakabadse, N. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9517-8279 (2012) France and the memories of ‘others’: The case of the Harkis. History & Memory, 24 (1). pp. 152-177. ISSN 0935-560X doi: 10.2979/histmemo.24.1.152

Abstract/Summary

Historical narratives help construct social identities, which are maintained through differentiation between in-groups and "others." In this article, we contend that Fatima Besnaci-Lancou's texts, as well as her reconciliation work—in which she enjoins Beurs and Harkis' offspring to write a new, inclusive, polyphonic narrative of the Algerian War—are an example of the positive use of textually mediated identity (re)construction. Her work suggests the possibility of implementing a moderate politics of empathetic recognition of the (often migration-related) memories of "others" so as to reinforce French national belongingness.