‘Popular Heritage and the Transmission of the Forbidden in the Algerian Novel’: From Colonialism to the Black Decade

Abstract

The Algerian novel has employed popular heritage as a means of transmitting the forbidden through significant historical milestones. In this context, popular heritage has adapted to new developments and socio-cultural transformations that characterise each stage. This study demonstrates that although popular heritage remains a fixed artistic tool in Algerian novels, its function changes as the forbidden changes and its significance varies from one period to another. 

During the colonial era, such heritage was utilised to protect and defend identity (as in the novel Nedjma). After independence, it shifted to become a means of critiquing the legitimacy of the ruling national authority and the effectiveness of its development projects (as in the novel Al-Zilzal/The Earthquake). Finally, during the Black Decade, popular heritage became a refuge for processing the trauma of violence and unveiling religious practices that produced a reactionary conception of religion (as in the novel Lady of the Station). 

Overall, the study reflects the flexibility and deep integration of popular heritage within the Algerian novel. There, it functions as a vehicle for collective memory and a means of connecting with Algerian national history. It also foregrounds an artistic and aesthetic awareness that enriches the literary field.