The shifting sands of revolutionary legitimacy: the role of former mujahideen in the shaping of Algeria's collective memory

This paper will examine the role played by the former veterans of Algeria's war of independence (the mujahideen) in the construction of Algeria's collective memory. I will argue that these veterans were able to embrace a broader vision of Algeria's national destiny while weaving themselves into the local historical narratives of their regions, when the legitimacy of the centralised state was threatened by a decade of civil unrest and violence, known within Algeria as the 'dark decade'. The term 'dark decade' is used locally to refer to the 1990s, a period bracketed by the controversial parliamentary elections of 1990-91 and the election of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in 1999. Much of the evidence presented in this paper is from archival material I collected at the Algerian National Archives, the Sanctuary of the Martyr and other research centres in the country from 2006-2007. The veterans' ability to navigate both national and local political arenas explains their largely successful effort to retain their privileged position in Algerian society despite the turbulent events of late 20th century Algeria.