Colonial and Postcolonial Gaze: Algerian Women in French Postcards

Khelif, Nour Elhouda; Guessar, Souad

دراسات
Volume 12, Numéro 2, Pages 749-765
2024-01-22

Colonial And Postcolonial Gaze: Algerian Women In French Postcards

Authors : Khelif Nour Elhouda . Guessar Souad .

Abstract

Le Colonial Harem (1981) by Malek Alloula is a collection of essays that analyzes a series of 90 photographic reproductions of colonial postcards featuring Algerian women. When French male photographers first came to Algeria they were so eager to capture the highly sexualized and beautiful Orient women that had been previously portrayed in Orientalist paintings. However, they could not because they were denied access to the harem, and even the Algerian women they encountered outside were veiled. Subsequently, denial of sight and experience resulted in fictitious harems and an obsession with the Algerian women's veil and later on their unveiling. The purpose of this work is to examine the representation of Algerian women in French colonial postcards. The method used in this study is analytical, and the study is based on a close reference to a number of seminal works written by authors such as Frantz Fanon and Edward Said.