“Le Code De L'infamie”

Abstract

In June 1984, the Algerian National Assembly adopted a set of laws targeting the family unit and the sphere of social relations between men and women, the Family Code. The Code came into being at a time when the Algerian government was struggling to forge a post-colonial national identity in tone with modern, liberal, and democratic values, preserving at the same time the Islamic tradition as a fundamental part of the Algerian citizenship. In terms of Algerian women's history, Family Code entered the legislative arena at a moment of intense struggles for emancipation, a few years after equality between men and women had been officially inscribed in the Algerian Constitution. Algerian feminists and women saw “Infamous,” as it is referred to, in the popular discourse, as an insult to their rights as citizens and to their effort during the War of Independence, when they joined forces with men against the French colonialists.