Between 1954 and 1962, Algerian women played a major role in the
struggle to end French rule in one of the twentieth century's most
violent wars of decolonisation. This is the first in-depth exploration
of what happened to these women after independence in 1962. Based on new
oral history interviews with women who participated in the war in a wide
range of roles, from urban bombers to members of the rural guerrilla
support network, it explores how female veterans viewed the
post-independence state and its multiple discourses on 'the Algerian
woman' in the fifty years following 1962. It also examines how these
former combatants' memories of the anti-colonial conflict intertwine
with, contradict or coexist alongside the state-sponsored narrative of
the war constructed after independence. Making an original contribution
to debates about gender, nationalism and memory, this book will appeal
to students and scholars of history and politics.