The Resurgence of Prison Memory in Post-Revolutionary Tunisia Testimonies between Truth and Memory

Abstract

The Tunisian revolution against Ben Ali has catalysed the production of an impressive amount of literary works about political detention during the post-independence period in Tunisia. This article investigates how prison literature constructs the memory of these repressive years and provides testimony about the systematic oppression of Tunisian political activists under Bourguiba and Ben Ali. Additionally, the article provides an innovative reading of the workings of prison literature in the context of Tunisia's Truth and Dignity Commission.