Layachi Anser;

Sociology of Crisis in Algeria

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Sociology of Crisis in Algeria

Review Article
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El-Kafi Seghiri;
British Algerian Sociologist,

I'd like to jot down a few spontaneous observations following immediately from reading your
article dealing with ; to borrow Will Huttons' title; ''The State We're In'' in Algeria: The article is
outstanding in the sense that it is based on a uniquely deep, comprehensive, experiential and
''lived worlds'' ; to use Anthony Giddens's phraseology; first hand professional knowledge and
practical active involvement in the multifaceted major events and the role of the actors engaged;
pro-actively or reactively; in adjusting the sails in the direction of the winds and
the burning stove leading to shape the domains that moulded Algeria as we see it today.
The '' lived worlds'' include , as you openly acknowledged in some of your published articles;
being a keen observer and actor in the life of the country while a university student and
subsequently an academic of substantial and compelling ability to critically assess, evaluate,
analyse and attribute merit where it's due, and see beyond the obvious short term competing
invested interests of ; it saddens me to say; many parties including a substantial section of trade
unions, ''intellectual and financier elites and the deliberate undermining of the newly formed
republic by a group of individuals eager to uphold the interest of a client state without due regard
to public funds as long as their personal gain is intact'' [from your article]; to predict results and
suggest alternatives which are likely to lead to better outcomes provided a nurturing environment
is given space to thrive in order to implement what makes a society healthy and civilised in the
broadest sense of the word. The primacy of democracy and the benefits it brings;
despite Winston Churchill's reservations; which are there for all to see and do greatly outweigh
its deficits and is therefore a necessary and sufficient condition to rebuild not just Algeria but
many countries suffering the extreme ends of what Durkheim termed ''Anomy''.
Your diagnosis is ; understandably broad ; and encompasses many aspects of the major domains
which must be reviewed and given an intensive care treatment in the light of diminishing oil and
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Layachi Anser;
Sociology of Crisis in Algeria
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gas reserves in the country and the almost absent diversified investment with low and sometimes
''sorry state of productivity'' vis--vis the global changing positioning of economic players and
their tirelessly ruthless rush for resource acquisition and exploitation in light of the financial
crunch of 2008 and its unsavoury aftermath. The implications of such a changing world order are
quickly unfolding and Algeria seems to be an easy target to be acquired by whoever triumphs to
expand their sphere of regional and global influence without much effort or resistance due in
part; as you aptly explained; to the fragile, if not absence of established, democratic institutions
rooted and born out of a sense of ownership of universal human rights including the right to be
treated as a human being and the preparedness of individuals to apply to their personal private
and public conduct Voltaire's dictum in defense of liberties including liberty to oppose without
being coerced to fall into line and the right of being left to live and let live. The causes are
entangled in a web of interlinked folds of unspoken decades of mismanagement (a provocative
and highly emotive question would be: Why did it take Algerian leaders so long to get rid of
French rule) of a country torn between values spreading vice, abrogation of the other, uncritical
acceptance and conformity to the magical and sacred, willingness to be part of diseased social
fabric whose wealth is squandered in failure after failure without the wisdom of a resultant; at
least; an independent judiciary to hold those responsible to account and learn lessons from
mistakes so as to manage better and enhance values aspiring to absorb the digitalised age in an
environment of a country whose universities have been absent from international recognition and
ranking for a considerable period of time; an environment whose intellectual and cultural life is
centered around the struggle to secure basic daily goods; to satisfy basic physiological needs of
hunger and shelter to use Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs terminology; an environment
dominated; and forgive me for using the following terms despite my strong resentment as they
signify the end of reason; by fundamentalism and fanaticism.
I am inclined to strongly agree with your premise that the root solution to many of the country's
pathologies lies in honouring the constitutional right of individuals to live as citizens and the
individuals earning and actualising their citizenry as full members of a geographical area sharing
its resources with the global citizen with all the caveats, balances and cheques that can be
negotiated ( see in this respect , for instance, Martin Albrow and Anthony Giddens on
globalisation and global citizen), but for citizenship to be socialised and internalised as a value, a

Layachi Anser;
Sociology of Crisis in Algeria
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norm, an ethic, a right and responsibility may take some doing. In this respect, I hate to disagree
with some people who think that the people of developing nations are incapable of embracing
this value and making it a standard practice enshrined in their equivalents of the Magna
Carta because they fear that the deconstruction of the Arabic mind from its centuries held belief
in illusions is a mammoth task and requires a considerable amount of deleting and rewriting . If
that is the case then so be it, but enable the spread of enlightened theology and religious reforms
side by side with teaching what led other nations to colonise outer space and open up endless
possibilities for the young generations to explore, discover and make adjustments to satisfy their
undiminishing quest to fashion the world for a happier human life.
I sense, as I read, that the article is condensed; most likely to comply with publication word
count; and I can't resist the temptation to say that I felt that many topics, related as they may,
could have been developed further or better still, made the topics of separate articles including
for example : citizenship in the global age, citizenship and civil society in Algeria, State,
Government and governance in Algeria, Research and Development and Educating the
Educated, The role of the organic intellectual ,''to use Gramsci's term'', and the Algerian
intelligentsia and so on.
I feel, on the other hand, that the article has 'the fingers on the pulse' as the saying goes in
English. It is thorough and comprehensive in including major rubrics contributing to the current
state of affairs in the country, compellingly objective in its critical appraisal of actors and acts
shaping the events that culminated in a nation in need of kind care and serious treatment to
regain its place among the civilised family of nations and serve its deserving population
composed of individuals whose unshakable and unflinching belief in freedom has stood the test
of time.
The article is not short of bold, daring, well thought out, challenging and innovative proposals
that if developed and implemented by policy makers and followed through will very likely see
the country out of its anticipated severe crises.
The language, the organisation, the flow of ideas and analysis is professionally written, but can
be read by lay people as well as professionals with interest in the sociology of Algeria written by
an Algerian sociologist with an astonishing ability to weave together volumes of sociological
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Sociology of Crisis in Algeria
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knowledge in an article without bias and with the humility of scientists who do their discipline
and humanity at large a worthwhile service with due humility and respect without claiming to be
experts.
The article is commendable and is a must read to students of sociology, sociologists, political
science experts, politicians, policy makers, aspiring sociologists, activists, and anyone interested
in gaining a serious insight about Algeria, North Africa and the Middle East.
El-kafi Seghiri,
Cardiff, 18/12/2014