Politics and Society

Abstract

Abstract The progressive marginalization and alienation of the ordinary population from engagement in formal politics was a notable feature of the Bouteflika presidency. However, the large size of the protest movement that emerged in 2019 demonstrated that the population was far from disengaged and uninterested in politics more generally. Survey data and ethnographies reveal identifiable features of political attitudes among the Algerian population that help explain this. Younger Algerians in particular are alienated from elections and political parties, but see value in smaller scale, more locally based forms of activism to bring about change. Youth are less fatalistic about their ability to change things than older Algerians. The civil conflict of the 1990s has had a complex legacy, reducing support for Islamist movements but encouraging individual religious piety. Ideological divisions within society, notably those relating to identity, have greatly reduced with a greater apparent tolerance of diversity of lifestyles. Education, class, family, religion, and traditional and new social media all have varying influences on both Algerian men and women, with the latter playing an increased role in politics and society.