Zahia Rahmani

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Zahia Rahmani
زاهية رحمانى
Born1962
Algeria
NationalityFrench
Occupation(s)Art curator, novelist

Zahia Rahmani (born 1962) is a French-Algerian author, curator, and art historian. [1]

Contents

Early life

Rahmani was born in Algeria in 1962 and is of Berber heritage. She spoke only Kabyle until she was five-years old and her family migrated to France in 1967. Rahmani's father was a Harki. [1] Rahmani and her family spent six months in the Saint-Maurice de l'Ardoise camp for repatriated Harkis and their families. [2] [3] With the help of some French friends, the family settled in Beauvais. [3] Rahmani's older brother died in 1971. [3]

Books

Rahmani is the author of a trilogy of novels that explore themes of banishment and alienation. [4] The first in this series is her 2003 work Moze deals with Harki identity and her father's 1991 suicide. [3] Rahmani's 2005 semi-autobiographical work Musulman, Roman (Muslim: a Novel) explores the stereotypes surrounding Muslim identity in France and issues surrounding immigration. [1] [5] Muslim: a Novel was the 2020 winner of the Albertine Prize. [6] The final work in this trilogy is her memoir France récit d’une enfance (France, story of a childhood). [4] [7] [8]

Art curation

Rahmani is director of the Research Program on Art and Globalization at the Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art. [9] [4] She created the graduate research program at École Nationale des Beaux-Arts and was director from 1999 to 2002. [9] [4] She was the curator of the exhibit Made in Algeria, Genealogy of a Territory which was showcased at the Museum of Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean until May 2016. [10] Rahmani curated Seismography of Struggle, a collection of non-European cultural and critical journals. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Algerian War</span> 1954–1962 war of Algerian independence from France

The Algerian War was a major armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) from 1954 to 1962, which led to Algeria winning its independence from France. An important decolonization war, it was a complex conflict characterized by guerrilla warfare and war crimes. The conflict also became a civil war between the different communities and within the communities. The war took place mainly on the territory of Algeria, with repercussions in metropolitan France.

<i>Pieds-noirs</i> French people born in colonial Algeria, and their descendants

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harki</span> Term for Muslim Algerians in the French Army in the Algerian War of Independence

Harki is the generic term for native Muslim Algerians who served as auxiliaries alongside the French Army during the Algerian War from 1954 to 1962. The word sometimes applies to all Algerian Muslims who supported French Algeria during the war. The motives for enlisting were mixed. They were regarded as traitors in independent Algeria and thousands of them were reportedly killed after the war in reprisals, despite the Évian Accords ceasefire and amnesty stipulations. President Charles de Gaulle controversially made the decision to not give the Harkis sanctuary in France, viewing them as "soldiers of fortune" who should be discharged as soon as possible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Évian Accords</span> 1962 treaty in which France recognized Algerias independence, thereby ending the Algerian War

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Who's a Muslim?". France-Amérique. 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  2. Ivey, Beatrice. "Saint-Maurice-l'Ardoise Harki Camp – Pieds-Noirs". Pied Noirs. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Zahia Rahmani". Evene.fr (in French). Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Zahia Rahmani - INHA". INHA. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
  5. ""Muslim": A Novel by Zahia Rahmani". World Literature Today. 2019-06-14. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  6. "Independent journalism cooperative Brick House has launched; Zahia Rahmani awarded the 2020 Albertine Prize". Book Forum. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  7. "France, story of a childhood". French Culture.
  8. "Book Review: "France: Story of a Childhood" -- A Timely Memoir of Liberation". The Arts Fuse. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
  9. 1 2 "Zahia Rahman". NYU Gallatin.
  10. "Made in Algeria". Ibraaz. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
  11. "Seismography of Struggle". The Gallatin Galleries. 2018-09-06. Retrieved 2022-06-02.