Colonialism and the political economy of reconstruction: French policy in the reconstruction of Algerian inland cities, 1837–1900

The French colonial conquest of Algeria in the nineteenth century was marked by a swift occupation of coastal cities, coupled with fierce resistance in the hinterland. Decades of resistance war left inland cities devastated and needed important reconstruction efforts. However, following the war, political and economic instability severely hindered the ability to initiate large reconstruction projects.

The contributions of this study are threefold. First, this study examines the correlation between the reconstruction patterns and the landmarks of the French economy. Second, this article demonstrates that the progress of the reconstruction of Algerian inland cities went through a series of phases before reaching its completion. After a phase where reconstruction was mainly carried out by individuals, the colonial military authorities initiated urban renewal projects to replace temporary buildings with better quality and more French-style buildings. Lastly, the article also demonstrates that, owing the lack of a clear reconstruction policy, the Algerian local population managed to rehouse themselves following mainstream building practices prior to occupation. In pursuit of these arguments, an interdisciplinary comparative approach was adopted to study five Algerian inland cities from demographic, economic, and reconstruction efforts point of view.