Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

Algeria had appropriated all French property, including pied-noir bank accounts, my family was forced to
begin rebuilding their lives, and even encountered some prejudice from the French mainland citizens who
claimed to have only “somewhat” or “little” connection with the pied-noirs (Talbott 358). Still, the pied-noirs
maintained an advantage over North African immigrants who often faced the language barrier and more
overt racial prejudices as a result of the war and the lost département.
Not all French citizens harbored animosity toward the North African immigrants; despite the
personal affronts my uncle experienced, he “has always been in a good understanding and feeling with the
Arabs, as [he] feels [they] have a lot in common,” mentioning specifically the culture, history, family values,
and good food that they share (de Montchenu). However, the intense impact on the relationship between
France and Algeria in terms of the sole number of people affected by the war cannot be ignored: one
million pied-noirs and their children; 1.5 million soldiers that lived or worked in Algeria during the war; one
million Algerian immigrants and their children (the latter known as “beurs”); and the tens of thousands of
harkis (Stora Transfert 71). For some pied-noirs like my uncle, he felt that the war left a hidden scar within
him, and he made a pilgrimage of sorts to his birthplace, visiting his home, school grounds, grandparents’
houses, church, and relatives’ graves in an attempt to reconcile his conflicting emotions. He is the only
member of my family that has felt this desire to return to Algeria, though many pied-noirs have made this
trip (de Montchenu). Likewise, the sons and daughters of immigrants have become a part of the French
culture, much like their fathers had hoped (Stora Transfert 5). However, they too still face the
discrimination of some French citizens, most recently and most notably in the 2005 French riots, which
were an indirect result of the lost département and continued tension between the French and many
immigrants.
I don’t agree with France’s treatment of Algeria during the war, let alone the initial colonization,
nor do I agree with the methods by which Algeria reassumed control of their country and the acts of terror
they committed, especially against my own family, while in pursuit of their independence. Given the faults
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