The Jackal: The Root of Algerian Intellectuals'Cultural Crisis
Publisher
:
La Découverte
Parution date
:
2001
EAN
:
9782707133953
Description
When intellectuals cannot exercise their freedom of expression, they often resort to unusual means, allusive or metaphorical language to describe an abnormal situation. Such was the case during the French colonization in Algeria, where intellectuals used French symbols to denounce oppression against "indigenous" people, as well as despotic practices by the Algerian government after independence. The study of Berber oral literature, which profoundly shapes Maghrebi culture, is one of the best ways to understand the anthropological foundations of the crisis which exists among intellectuals and the culture of cunning tactics, the root of this crisis. Beginning her study with fables from the Roman de Chacal published in 1964 and inspired by the famous Roman de Renart of the French Middle Ages, Tassadit Yacine-Titouh analyzes the symbolic value of the mythical jackal in Algerian society today. At once funny and odious, the figure of jackal is part of the Algerian popular consciousness symbolizing social structures and their representations. More than mere entertainment, the jackal’s adventures in the mountains of Kabylia reveal considerable models of behavior.
Author
Yacine-Titouh Yacine-Titouh : Tassadit Yacine-Titou is a professor at the Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales. She is the author of Poésie berbère et identité, L’izli ou l’amour chanté en kabyle (Editions de la Maison des sciences de l’homme) and Les voleurs de feu (La Découverte). She also writes for the Journal of Berber studies, Awal, founded in 1985 in collaboration with the famous Algerian anthropologist, Mouloud Mammeri.
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