Culture as a Long-Term Coping Mechanism for Resettlement Trauma: French Pied-Noir Associations and Post-Algerian War Displacement

For the Pied-Noir, European colonists in Algeria, resettlement to France in 1962 was a disaster. Decisions to move were based on fears for physical survival, but relocation reduced migrants’ abilities to maintain existing social practices and culture (Manes 2005; Phaneuf 2012a; Smith 2006). Individuals were separated from family, friends, and neighbors, resulting in disruption of social structures. Familiar

Introduction .............................................................................................................. 89 The Disaster Process, Resettlement Trauma, and Social Networks .........................90 Case Study: Methodology ........................................................................................92 Five Decades of Pied-Noir Recovery and Cultural Coping .....................................92