JOURNAL ARTICLE

French Cultural Policies in Colonial Algeria and the National Reformist Current: An Analytical Study of the Role of the Newspaper al-Basaʾir in the Defense of Algerian Identity (1931–1956).

  • Published In: Science, Education & Innovations in the Context of Modern Problems, 2025, v. 8, n. 10. P. 728 1 of 3

  • Database: Sociology Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Mimouna, Abed 3 of 3

Abstract

The article analyzes French colonial cultural policies in Algeria from 1931 to 1956, focusing on the role of the newspaper al-Basaʾir, the official organ of the Association of Algerian Muslim Scholars (AAS), in defending Algerian Islamic and Arab identity. It details how French authorities pursued a systematic Christianization campaign—combining institutional control over Islamic religious structures with missionary efforts exploiting social crises—to undermine indigenous religious and cultural foundations. In response, the AAS employed a reformist discourse through al-Basaʾir to promote Arabic education, correct religious beliefs, expose missionary tactics, and mobilize public resistance against cultural assimilation. The study concludes that despite intense colonial pressures, this intellectual and educational resistance preserved core elements of Algerian identity and contributed to the foundation of the 1954 Liberation Revolution.

Additional Information

  • Source:Science, Education & Innovations in the Context of Modern Problems. 2025/11, Vol. 8, Issue 10, p728
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:History
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:2790-0169
  • DOI:10.56334/sei/8.10.64
  • Accession Number:188507649
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