Courses

This course, offered in conjunction with the Center for Spatial Research, explores representations of space in contemporary Algerian literature and film, considering how spatial imaginaries engage with changing social and political landscapes. The arts in Algeria have often been approached from the perspective of their narration of national history, notably the country’s emblematic War of Independence against France (1954-62). This course shifts the focus to the self-conscious ways in which contemporary film and literature explore social and political dynamics distilled in the experience of space: issues such as urban crowding, intra and inter-national migration, environmental damage, real estate development and speculation, assertions of regional identities and the reclaiming of public space by protest movements. In addition to considering forms of spatial representation in contemporary Algerian literature and cinema we look outside the text/image at sites and physical locations of cultural production such as publishing houses, book fairs, film festivals, cinema clubs, arts associations and literary cafes. Throughout the course our enquiry will be guided by questions about the poetics and politics of space, the definition and variety of public and private spaces, and the role of cartography as a technology of power and contestation.