Dilemmas of desert survival in an age of imperialism: Mizabi merchants in Algeria from 1830 to 1850

Algiers under Ottoman rule contained an elaborate system of barrani (literally 'foreigner') corporations whose members were united by occupational specialisation and ethnic or racial identity. These corporations managed their affairs semi-autonomously under the leadership of one or several of their members while remaining vulnerable to political authorities who could threaten to withdraw occupational concessions. By the early nineteenth century, the Mizabi corporation was among the most prominent at Algiers, enjoying a quasi-monopoly over commercial enterprises such as flour mills, butcher shops, and public baths. The 1830 French conquest of Algiers confronted Mizabi merchants with an excruciating dilemma. The stakes were enormous for these Muslim sectarians who (1) played a central role in the survival of their Saharan home community, (2) served as key links in Algerian communication networks, and (3) made vital economic contributions to coastal cities. The Saharan community's political submission to an alien power seemed unthinkable; starvation resulting from French threats to cut off caravan links to the Mizab was equally unthinkable. This study examines the background and impact of the 1838 and 1850 decrees reorganising the barrani corporations of French-controlled Algeria. Buffeted and torn by the dilemmas of political accommodation and Saharan survival, Mizabi merchants demonstrated remarkable resilience during a turbulent and transitional era.