De la Méridionalité à la Méditerranée : Le Midi de la France au temps de l’Algérie coloniale

Abstract

This article explores the representation of Southern France during the colonial age of Algeria. During the nineteenth century, the French Midi was depicted as an exotic, backward or static borderland of the Occident and explicitly compared to French overseas colonies in North Africa. Yet, at the same time, the Midi played a crucial role for the colonization of Algeria and became a dynamic hub of interactions with the Maghreb. When Algeria was integrated into the French territory in 1848, France’s national boundary was shifted towards the south, and the Midi held a central position within the Mediterranean empire of the nation. After decolonization, the Midi was disconnected from North Africa and marginalized again. Regionalists now described the region as an ‘internal colony’ of the French nation-state and claimed for an ‘internal decolonization’ of the hexagon. In this way, the history and the representation of both regions continued to influence each other even after decolonization.