Country: Algeria

Group: Imazighen/Berber

Date: 3/30/21

Team: Rayna Castillo (lead), Hannah Goldman, Johanna McCombs

Content Warning: colonization, forced relocation

Approximate Time Period: 1000-1500

There is evidence of the forced away code for the Imazighen in Algeria with a data quality score of a 2 of 3.

While more commonly known as “Berbers,” this name carries a negative connotation and is roughly translated as “barbarians” (Kahina, 2013; Minority Rights Group, 2021). The members of the ethnic group instead refer to themselves as Imazighen (also written as Amazighen), meaning “free people” in their indigenous language (Kahina, 2013; Minority Rights Group, 2021). Although linked by their shared spoken dialect, the Imazighen of Algeria are a heterogeneous population consisting of sub-groups that vary both geographically and culturally. This includes the Kabyles, Shawiya, Mozabites, and Tuareg (Kahina, 2013; Minority Rights Group, 2021). Their indigenous land, a region called “Tamazgha,” spans across several countries, including Algeria (Kahina, 2013). Between the 11th and 15th century, Arab colonizers forced Imazighen who were living in the city back into the mountain regions because the Imazighen refused to pay taxes or recognize the authority of the city’s sultanates (Minority Rights Group, 2021). In the 19th and 20th centuries, France, Spain, Italy, and Britain divided and colonized the Tamazgha region (Kahina, 2013). Colonization of Imazighen land may have driven some members of the ethnic group from their lands, but we were unable to find additional information regarding these events. Since the 1960s and the founding of the Berber Cultural Movement, the Imazighen continue to advocate for indigenous rights and recognition; unfortunately, this has been met with minimal concessions from the Algerian government (Kahina, 2013; Minority Rights Group, 2021).

While the evidence for forced away comes from reliable sources, we were unable to find more details regarding the circumstances of these events such as specific dates and number of people affected, so the data quality score is a 2.

Sources

  1. Kahina, N. (2013, March 12). Free people: The IMAZIGHEN of North Africa. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://intercontinentalcry.org/free-people-the-imazighen-of-north-africa/#:~:text=We%20are%20called%20Amazigh%2C%20plural,Imazighen%20for%20its%20negative%20connotations.
  2. Minority Rights Group. (2021, January 20). Berbers. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://minorityrights.org/minorities/berbers/