Culture of Algeria

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As with the History article on Algeria, I strongly recommend that you print this information and bring it with you to class.

Culture of Algeria

Algeria

Cultural life

Algerian culture and life have been profoundly affected by 130 years of colonial rule, by the
bitter War of Independence, and by the subsequent broad mobilization policies of the
postindependence era. With the resulting emergence of a mobile, often rootless society, Algeria's
cultural continuity has accordingly been undermined. Only Islamic belief and populist ideology
have seemingly prevented social disintegration. There has been a contradiction, however,
between the government's various populist policies, calling for the radical modernization of
society on the one hand and the promotion of beliefs based on the country's Arab-Islamic
heritage and traditional family structure on the other. The cities, with their numerous
discontinuities, have become the centres of this cultural confrontation, but, even in remote areas
of the country, formal institutions of the state have begun to replace the extended family or clan
as Algerians are caught between a tradition that no longer commands their total loyalty and a
modernism that allures their senses but fails to satisfy their psychological and spiritual needs.
Only the more isolated Berber groups, such as the Saharan M'zabites and Tuareg, have escaped
these divisive pressures to some degree.

Daily life

Whether in the city or countryside, the daily life of the average Algerian is permeated with the
atmosphere of Islam, which, in this former colony of a Western power, has become identified
with the concept of an autonomous Algerian people and of resistance to the West. Practiced
here largely as a set of social prescriptions and ethical attitudes, Islam has more characteristically
been identified with supporting traditional values than with serving as a revolutionary ideology.

The emancipation of women, in particular, has been opposed by the influential Islamic clergy.
The family, headed by the husband, is considered to be the basic unit of society, and women are
expected to be obedient and provide support to their husbands. Men and women largely
constitute two essentially separate societies, each with its own attitudes and values. Daily
activities and social interaction normally take place only between members of the same sex.
Marriage is a family rather than a personal matter, and parents typically arrange marriages for
their children. Most women continue to wear veils in public, as it is considered improper for a
woman to be seen by men to whom she is not related. The practice of veiling has increased since
independence, especially in urban areas where the chance of contact with nonrelatives is greater.
Arguably, since it provides a means of mobile seclusion, veiling has actually increased the
freedom of women in many areas.

Press and broadcasting

Daily newspapers are published in both Arabic and French in Algiers, while in Oran and
Constantine there are other Arabic dailies. Several weeklies and a host of magazines are also
published in the country. Radiodiffusion Télévision Algérienne operates as a broadcasting
institution under the Ministry of Information and Culture. Its three radio channels are in Arabic,
Kabyle, and a mixture of French, English, and Spanish on its international channel. The television
network covers most of the country. (A.K.Ch.) (K.Su.)