Representing masculinity in postcolonial Algerian cinema

Abstract

After obtaining independence in 1962, Algeria witnessed the emergence of a highly politicised cinema dedicated to visualising the often traumatic effects of conflict. Existing scholarship tends towards framing narratives produced in the aftermath of independence within their historical, political and cinematic context without offering any sustained textual analysis of individual films. With this in mind, this article aims to address this critical blind spot through close analysis of three key works of the period; Mohamed Lahkdar-Hamina's Le Vent des Aurès (The Winds of the Aurès 1966), Tewfik Farès's Les Hors-la-loi (The Outlaws 1969) and Ahmed Rachedi's L'Opium et le bâton (Opium and the Stick 1969). Drawing largely from historians, cultural historians, and film scholars, the main aim of this article is thus to explore how these films disavow the pervasive masculine sexual concerns that characterised the period, primarily by representing men as fearless warriors and martyrs.