The village assembly (Tajmaɛt) during colonization: Tutorship, marginalization, and continuity

Abstract

This article proposes to study the evolution of the Kabyle political assemblies, tijumaɛ, during the colonial period.  More specifically, it aims to understand the impact of the measures taken by the colonial power on these institutions, after its military victory, to administer and control Kabylia.

The central issue highlighted in this study is to understand how the French military and administrative authorities relied on and manipulated these assemblies, after having subjugated and restricted their prerogatives, to administer and establish their domination over the country. It also explores the extent to which the population and these assemblies were able to resist the policies of marginalization and instrumentalization, and whether they developed strategies that allowed them to survive and adapt in the face of such measures.

The corpus of this study is based on an in-depth analysis of French administrative, military, and scholarly archives, as well as oral testimonies from Kabyle collective memory. These sources were cross-referenced to identify the main issues and consequences of colonial policy and to deepen our understanding of the transformation of the assemblies under the pressure of colonization.

The results of the analysis mainly show that the colonial power initially operated under "the regime of the sword," attempting to neutralize these institutions in order to turn them into tools for controlling and dominating the population. This was done under the authority of the military through the Arab offices, allowing the colonial administration to govern the region indirectly, at least provisionally.

However, after the establishment and strengthening of colonial administrative institutions and the repression of the El Mokrani revolt, these assemblies were gradually marginalized, under the pretext of their active participation in the uprising. This shift marked a transition to a more direct administration of the region and signaled a rupture in the relationship between these assemblies and the colonial power. Despite these measures and attempts at control and marginalization, the Kabyle population was able to preserve and maintain its assemblies, which continued to retain their legitimacy, clandestinely operating alongside the colonial institutions.

Depending on the balance of power, these Kabyle assemblies, though they temporarily faded before the colonial administration's services, were reconstituted whenever conditions were favorable, at times even managing to influence the very institutions introduced by the colonial authorities.

In sum, this research shows that French colonization had significant consequences on the Kabyle assemblies, and that the Kabyles, thanks to their resilience, were able to develop strategies that allowed them to oppose the restrictions and domination of the colonial power, while preserving their village assemblies.