Paris 1961 Algerians, State Terror, and Memory

by House, Jim; MacMaster, Neil

• ISBN13: 9780199247257
• ISBN10: 0199247250
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-11-30
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The massacre of Algerian demonstrators by the Paris police on the night of 17 October 1961 is one of the most contested events in contemporary French history. This book provides a multi-layered investigation of the repression through a critical examination of newly opened archives, oralsources, the press and contemporary political movements and debates. The roots of violence are traced back to counter-insurgency techniques developed by the French military in North Africa and introduced into Paris to crush the independence movement among Algerian migrant workers. The study showshow and why this event was rapidly expunged from public visibility in France, but was kept alive by immigrant and militant minorities, to resurface in a dramatic form after the 1980s. Through this case-study the authors explore both the dynamics of state terror as well as the complex memorialprocesses by which these events continue to inform and shape post-colonial society.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations and Tables	viii
Abbreviations	ix
General Introduction	1	(24)
I. COLONIAL VIOLENCE AND STATE TERROR
Introduction to Part I	25	(8)
Papon and the Colonial Origins of Police Violence	33	(28)
The FLN Counter-State and Police Repression, 1958--1961	61	(27)
The Police Crisis and Terror, July to 16 October 1961	88	(25)
The Demonstrations of 17 to 20 October 1961	113	(24)
The Political Crisis, 18 October to 1 December 1961	137	(24)
Counting the Victims and Identifying the Killers	161	(33)
II. REVISITING OCTOBER AND THE AFTERLIVES OF MEMORY
Introduction to Part II	183	(11)
Contesting Colonial Repression, 1945--1961	194	(22)
Fragmented Reactions to State Violence, September--November 1961	216	(26)
The Marginalization of 17 October 1961 (1961--1968)	242	(23)
`Underground' Memories, 1962--1979	265	(23)
Emergent Memories, 1980--1997?	288	(22)
Ever-Present Memories?	310	(25)
Conclusion	335	(4)
Guide to Research Sources and Bibliography	339	(22)
Index	361