Proceedings of International Conference on Modern Approach in Humanities and Social Sciences
Year: 2019
DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.33422/icmhs.2019.03.152
The Shadow of the Past: The Social and Political Struggle Experienced by the Algerian Kabyles’ Diaspora of the United Kingdom
Imene Hamani
ABSTRACT:
The current paper discusses the Kabyles’ experiences during the periods that inked their anniversaries in the history of Algeria. During the 1990s, Algeria had slipped into terrorism and civil war, which led to violent conflicts and a long period of instability affecting politics, economics, social unity and cultural advance. In addition, Algeria has faced the issue of Amazigh activism that aimed to call for the recognition of their culture and their written language. The cultural differences led to revolts in the early years of Islamic rules, in which the Amazigh militancy have their national and democratic claims that are limited to Berber region. While some Kabyles experienced the identity struggle and the Black Decade from abroad, for others their movement to the United Kingdom was triggered by the consequences of those events to seek refuge and secularism. Although those events belong to the past, they are still present in the shadow of their identity. This paper aims to offer the reader how the Black Decade is still affecting the Algerian Kabyles’ diaspora and how the violent confrontation that occurred during the ‘Berber Spring’ in Algeria had reinforced the ties between Kabylia and the diasporic community in the UK. Likewise to those left-behind, the Kabyles’ diaspora present themselves as post-modern cultural hybrids, who demonstrated against oppression and terrorism, and for their civil rights in many cultural and political activities in order to improve the lives of those living in Algeria.