Remembering French Algeria
History, culture, literature
Remembering French Algeria introduces learners to the history, culture and literature associated with France’s empire in Algeria.
There are two sections to the materials. The first section introduces you to different approaches to remembering empire and how these shape the world today. It uses videos, readings and quizzes to understand France’s colonisation of Algeria and how it continues to shape French society today.
In the second section we apply this knowledge to study a short play, called The Land Beneath My Feet, about four characters who come together to play a game of pétanque. They all come from different backgrounds but in the course of the game the conversation turns to the past and to their memories of Algeria’s war of independence. Through comedy and drama the play explores the lasting influence of the past on the present.
Remembering French Algeria Section 1: France’s empire in Algeria
Session 1: Approaches to Remembering the Past
In this session we think about how we remember the past and think about two different models of memory.
Session 1 presentation
Session 2: Settling Algeria from 1830
This session looks at the conquest of Algeria, the Europeans who settled there, and the effects on Algeria’s indigenous peoples.
Session 2 presentation
Session 3: Colonial Society
In this session we look at the ideas that held colonial society together, and the inequalities that tore it apart.
Session 3 presentation
Session 4: The Algerian War of Independence
This session looks at the war that led to Algeria’s independence and forced a million French settlers to leave their homes.
Session 4 presentation
Session 5: Repatriation and Exile
In this final session we examine the experience of exile and how it has been remembered.
Session 5 presentationRemembering French Algeria Section 2: The Land Beneath My Feet
On the quintessentially French terrain of a boulodrome, four men meet to play a game of pétanque. As the game progresses, the conversation turns to the past, and to memories of the Algerian War of Independence. Each of the men has a different experience of that event, reflecting the different sides caught up in the war. Their exchanges – sometimes revelatory, often lighthearted – reveal the traces of the past that shape what it means to be French today.
There is a range of materials to help you with your portfolio:
- The Land Beneath My Feet electronic text
This text of the play is interactive, with underlined phrases that expand to give explanatory notes.
- The Land Beneath My Feet printable text
This is the same text of the play, as a PDF that you can print and write notes on it.
- Introduction to The Land Beneath My Feet
Here you can find a summary of the history between France and Algeria, from the conquest to the present day. It presents background to the issues that feature in the play.
- Interview with Philippe Chuyen, author of The Land Beneath My Feet
In this interview Philippe Chuyen talks briefly about some of the key themes in the play.
- Reading guide and Character profiles
As you read the play it is important that you take notes to record what happens, highlight important moments and identify key quotes. To help with this you will find a reading guide and profiles of each of the characters for you to complete. Add to these documents as you progress through the play and by the end you will have a useful record of the play’s key points.
The play is divided into six sections with a Powerpoint presentation to take you through each one. By the end you will have finished the play and will be able to prepare a sample essay question.
Session 6
In this session we look at the opening of the play, its setting on a pétanque court and examine the differences between M. Blanc and the other characters, Loule, Zé and Yaya.
Session 6 presentation
Session 7
In this session memories of Algeria emerge. We hear about Loule and M. Blanc’s fathers.
Session 7 presentation
Session 8
In this session we hear more about Zé’s pied-noir experience, and Loule’s life growing up in Provence.
Session 8 presentation
Session 9
This session explores the conflicting memories within communities and consider the effects produced by immigration.
Session 9 presentation
Session 10
In this session we explore the play’s ending. Don’t forget to complete your Reading guide and Character profiles!
Session 10 presentation
Session 11
This session includes drama activities to allow you to explore the characters and themes in more depth.
Session 11 presentation
Session 12
This session analyses the interview with Philippe Chuyen and goes through the steps of planning an essay in response to an example essay question.
Session 12 presentationYou can access a completed copy of the Reading guide and Character profiles to help you, and also look at an annotated copy of the interview with Philippe Chuyen.
Session 12 Completed Fiche de lecture and character profiles Session 12 Annotated Philippe Chuyen interviewPermissions and referencing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Produced in collaboration with SCILT, Scotland's National Centre for Languages.
The Land Beneath My Feet play and interview referencing:
Full publication details for the play and the interview:
Chuyen, Philippe. (2022) The Land Beneath My Feet. Translated by Edward Clay. Narratives and Representations of the French Settlers of Algeria. Available: https://pieds-noirs.stir.ac.uk/the-land-beneath-my-feet/ [Accessed: give the date when you accessed it, e.g. 1 November 2023]
Chuyen, Philippe. (2022) Interview with Philippe Chuyen, author of The Land Beneath My Feet. Interviewed by Fiona Barclay. Narratives and Representations of the French Settlers of Algeria, 15 August. Available: https://pieds-noirs.stir.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/English-interview-with-Philippe-Chuyen.pdf [Accessed: give the date when you accessed it].