ABSTRACT
Whereas the subject of the ‘second generation born of immigration’ lends itself to comparative analysis between all the European countries that have received successive waves of migrant workers, the case of the ‘second-generation harkis’, to which this essay is devoted, must be seen against the specific backdrop of France's colonial history. To be more precise, this subject can only be understood against the background of the seven-and-a-half years of war, which, between 1954 and 1962, marked the end of 130 years of French presence in Algeria. Consequently, by way of introduction it will be necessary to undertake a brief historical review of the subject under discussion in order to put it into proper perspective. This review will address at least two basic questions. First, to whom does the term ‘harkis’ refer? Second, how are those people referred to as ‘harkis’ regarded in France and in Algeria, or rather why and by whom have the harkis been brought into disrepute on both sides of the Mediterranean? This is important because it is well known that the fate of the former harkis and their families has become the object of numerous and sometimes contradictory accusations both in France and in Algeria. Against this background, I will then turn to the main theme of my essay, the question of identity of the second-generation harkis in present-day France in a stigmatizing social environment.
