Women in the Algerian Revolution - pt 1

Note: this is a study aid for my course on Islam.

How can we best understand women's participation in the war in Algeria? How did they come to enter the movement? Why did they enter it?

The participation in the decolonization effort by women ranged from approval of the war to active commitment in the movement. Their active commitment was in a variety of capacities, but the most prominent of these are as nurses, as caregivers and by running supplies to soldiers. Lazreg says that women were caught between their disapproval of the colonial government, their loyalty to male relatives participating in the war, and their dislike of repressive colonial laws. Their reasons for participating in the war ranged from the perceived injustice of the colonial government to a need to feel useful. Women were not originally encouraged to participate, and some were even discouraged. However, the F.L.N began to actively recruit women to work as nurses and to supply soldiers. FLN recruitment, along with chance and family circumstances, aided the involvement of women in the war.