Travels in Algeria, United Empire Loyalists

Edward Said once remarked that a true and impartial study of colonialism will likely never be undertaken in our times. The wounds are too fresh, there is too much money to be made, and it will take a civilization removed from ours to be able to truly study the legacy of colonialism, la bien et la mal, in an objective way. While this may be true, there is no lack of written material and first hand accounts documenting the facts and events of the not-so-distant past, events which have shaped the modern world and continue to make their effects and influence felt in the present. Both narratives describe the effects of colonialism and modernity when imposed from outside on an unwilling people. The twin impulses to stay and fight, or to flee and preserve, and how it seizes suddenly whole populations of people and subjects them at once to violence and anarchy. Together, both are intended to provide a holistic view of the experiences, the aspirations, the quiet sufferings, and the triumphs of different populations living on the periphery of colonial societies. It has been said that history is written by the winners, but occasionally it is worthwhile to listen to the muted complaints of the losers, who held fast against insurmountable odds with dignity and grace, and eventually found victory on their own terms.