Silsilat Jihad Sha'b al-Jaza'ir
- Author died
- 1439 AH
- Editions
- Dar Al-Nafaes
Silsilat Jihad Sha'b al-Jaza'ir (The Struggle of the Algerian People Series) is a fifteen-volume historical study authored by the Syrian military historian Bassam al-Asali (d. 1439 AH / 2018 CE) and published by Dar al-Nafa'is in Beirut . The work documents the history of Algerian resistance against foreign invasions and French colonial rule, tracing naval defense and anti-colonial movements from the late 15th century up to the achievement of Algerian national independence .
Background and Purpose
The publisher, Ahmad Ratib 'Armush, noted that the series was launched at the onset of the fifteenth century of the Hijra to address the scarcity of works in the Arab East (Mashriq) dealing with modern resistance movements in the Arab and Islamic world, which had often been overshadowed by studies of early Islamic conquests . Al-Asali intended the multi-volume project to introduce Eastern readers to the Algerian anti-colonial legacy, emphasize the Islamic and Arab identity of Algeria, and document the military and political lessons of the Algerian revolution .
Scope and Structure
The series comprises fifteen volumes arranged around major historical periods, pivotal figures, and operational aspects of the resistance :
- Naval Defense and Early Confrontations: Early volumes address maritime defense under commanders such as Hayreddin Barbarossa (Khayr al-Din Barbarus wa-l-Jihad fi al-Bahr, 1470–1547) and the campaigns against Spanish and European crusades between 1475 and 1791 (Al-Jaza'ir wa-l-Hamalat al-Salibiyyah) .
- Nineteenth-Century Resistance: Focuses on the initial French invasion of 1830 and armed resistance up to 1838 (Al-Muqawamah al-Jaza'iriyyah li-l-Isti'mar al-Faransi), the state-building and military campaigns of Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri, and the 1871 uprising led by Muhammad al-Muqrani and Shaykh al-Haddad (Muhammad al-Muqrani wa-Thawrat 1871 al-Jaza'iriyyah) .
- Nationalist and Reform Movements: Examines the early 20th-century political movement spearheaded by Amir Khalid, the educational and Islamic reform program of Abd al-Hamid ibn Badis and the Association of Algerian Muslim Scholars, and the subsequent party struggles (Nahj al-Thawrah al-Jaza'iriyyah: al-Sira' al-Siyasi), highlighting organizations such as the Étoile Nord-Africaine, the Algerian People's Party (PPA), and the role of figures like Messali Hadj and Ferhat Abbas, as well as the pivotal 8 May 1945 massacres .
- The War of Independence (1954–1962): Covers the launching of the armed revolution on 1 November 1954 (Allahu Akbar .. wa-Intalaqat Thawrat al-Jaza'ir), the operations and military structure of the National Liberation Army (Jaysh al-Tahrir al-Watani al-Jaza'iri), the fighters (Al-Mujahidun al-Jaza'iriyyun), the involvement of women and colonial counter-insurgency (Al-Mujahidah al-Jaza'iriyyah), French military and political strategies (Al-Isti'mar al-Faransi), and the diplomacy and victory of the National Liberation Front (Jabhat al-Tahrir al-Watani al-Jaza'iri) leading to the French withdrawal .
Method and Features
Al-Asali employed an analytical and military-historical approach, incorporating synchronized timelines that aligned Algerian developments with broader Islamic and international events . Each volume typically concludes with a documentary appendix (qira'at) containing original treaties, diplomatic communiqués, military orders, declarations, and contemporary memoirs, such as the Desmichels and Tafna treaties, statements of the Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic (GPRA), and resolutions of the Soummam Conference . The research drew on Arabic historical records, Algerian publications, and French archival and academic references .
Publication History
The volumes were published individually by Dar al-Nafa'is between 1400 AH (1980 CE) and 1404 AH (1984 CE), with subsequent editions appearing in 1406 AH (1986 CE) and 1411 AH (1990 CE) . In certain digitized library editions, the documentary readings for volumes 7 and 14 were omitted .
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