Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'European colonisation'

Abstract Mitochondrial DNA sequences were used to study the phylogeny, population structure and colonisation history of Parus species. The phylogenetic relationships of seven European and three American species were examined by sequencing a part of the cytochrome b gene. Phylogenetically the closest species were the great tit (Parus major) and the blue tit (P. caeruleus). Subgenus Poecile was divided into two clades, one consisting of the Siberian tit (P. cinctus), the Carolina chickadee (P. carolinensis) and the Black-capped chickadee (P. atricapillus) and the other consisting of the marsh tit (P. palustris) and the willow tit (P. montanus). The coal tit (P. ater) and the crested tit (P. cristatus) did not group with any of the species studied. The population structure and the colonisation history of the willow tit, the great tit and the blue tit were examined by using control region sequences. The results suggest that the historical effective population size in the willow tit has been large and not contracted by the last ice age. Current gene flow must also be extensive as no population structuring was detected. No population structuring was evident either in the great tit and the populations showed distinctive signs of a recent population expansion. The patterns of genetic variation probably reflect a population bottleneck during the ice age, and a recolonisation of the European continent thereafter, presumably from a refugium situated in the Balkans. Two maternal lineages were found in the blue tit. The southern lineage was restricted to the Iberian peninsula whereas the northern lineage was detected from all the populations. The colonisation history has been similar to the one suggested for the great tit. The southern lineage, however, may have survived the ice age in a different refugium in the Iberian peninsula and was not as successful as the northern lineage in colonising available regions when the ice retreated. Both, the blue tit and the great tit have continued to expand their distribution northwards during this century and gene flow plays an important role in homogenising the populations.

The structure of populations has been studied for many years and there have been three main factors that have been suggested as the cause for present-day distributions of species, those being environment, biology and history. With the use of molecular data and advanced phylogeographic approaches it is now possible to distinguish between the main causes of population structuring. The present study considers the extent of population structure in G. pulex on regional (UK) and large geographic (Europe) scales using studies of molecular genetic (allozymes, mtDNA sequencing and microsatellites) and morphological variation. Molecular analysis of Gammarus pulex in Europe revealed more diversity than previously thought. This was thought to be a consequence of two separate waves of colonisation after the formation of the major drainages in the Miocene. The UK appears to have been colonised once from either the Elbe, Mosel and Rhine drainages separately or cumulatively across the drainage basins late in the Pleistocene before a land bridge connection to mainland Europe was submerged. Limited molecular variation in the UK is thought to be a result of reduced genetic variation in the colonising individuals. This in turn was caused by repeated founder events during population expansion and contraction from European refugia. A detailed analysis of a transplantation experiment in 1950 in the Isle of Man revealed little genetic impoverishment of the introduced population when compared to the source. In contrast, morphological variation increased in the introduced population. Unlike in mainland Europe there was no historical explanation for the diversity recorded (as the introduced population was so young) and, in the absence of fragmentation, speciation and colonisation the contemporary forces of gene flow, selection and limited genetic drift are thought to be the determining factors in population structure.

This thesis recognises the great significance of 'walkabout' as a major trading tradition whereby the Dreaming paths and songlines formed major ceremonial routes along which goods and knowledge flowed. These became the trade routes that criss-crossed Australia and transported religion and cultural values. The thesis also highlights the valuable contribution Aboriginal people made in assisting the European explorers, surveyors, and stockmen to open the country for colonisation, and it explores the interface between Aboriginal possession of the Australian continent and European colonisation and appropriation. Instead of positing a radical disjunction between cultural competencies 'before' and 'after', the thesis considers how European colonisation of Australia (as with other colonial settings) appropriated Aboriginal competence in terms of the landscape: by tapping into culinary and medicinal knowledge, water and resource knowledge, hunting, food collecting and path-finding. As a consequence of this assistance, Aboriginal Dreaming tracks and trading paths also became the routes and roads of colonisers. This dissertation seeks to reinstate Aboriginal people into the historical landscape of Australia. From its beginnings as a footnote in Australian history, Aboriginal society, culture, and history has moved into the preamble, but it is now time to inscribe Aboriginal people firmly in the body of Australian history.

This thesis recognises the great significance of 'walkabout' as a major trading tradition whereby the Dreaming paths and songlines formed major ceremonial routes along which goods and knowledge flowed. These became the trade routes that criss-crossed Australia and transported religion and cultural values. The thesis also highlights the valuable contribution Aboriginal people made in assisting the European explorers, surveyors, and stockmen to open the country for colonisation, and it explores the interface between Aboriginal possession of the Australian continent and European colonisation and appropriation. Instead of positing a radical disjunction between cultural competencies 'before' and 'after', the thesis considers how European colonisation of Australia (as with other colonial settings) appropriated Aboriginal competence in terms of the landscape: by tapping into culinary and medicinal knowledge, water and resource knowledge, hunting, food collecting and path-finding. As a consequence of this assistance, Aboriginal Dreaming tracks and trading paths also became the routes and roads of colonisers. This dissertation seeks to reinstate Aboriginal people into the historical landscape of Australia. From its beginnings as a footnote in Australian history, Aboriginal society, culture, and history has moved into the preamble, but it is now time to inscribe Aboriginal people firmly in the body of Australian history.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Arts, Media and Culture
Full Text

Global warming is already threatening many animal and plant communities worldwide, however, the effect of climate change on bat populations is poorly known. Understanding the factors influencing the survival of bats is crucial to their conservation, and this cannot be achieved solely by modern ecological studies. Palaeoecological investigations provide a perspective over a much longer temporal scale, allowing the understanding of the dynamic patterns that shaped the distribution of modern taxa. In this study twelve microchiropteran fossil assemblages from Mount Etna, central-eastern Queensland, ranging in age from more than 500,000 years to the present day, were investigated. The aim was to assess the responses of insectivorous bats to Quaternary environmental changes, including climatic fluctuations and recent anthropogenic impacts. In particular, this investigation focussed on the effects of increasing late Pleistocene aridity, the subsequent retraction of rainforest habitat, and the impact of cave mining following European settlement at Mount Etna. A thorough examination of the dental morphology of all available extant Australian bat taxa was conducted in order to identify the fossil taxa prior to their analysis in term of species richness and composition. This detailed odontological work provided new diagnostic dental characters for eighteen species and one genus. It also provided additional useful dental characters for three species and seven genera. This odontological analysis allowed the identification of fifteen fossil bat taxa from the Mount Etna deposits, all being representatives of extant bats, and included ten taxa identified to the species level (i.e., Macroderma gigas, Hipposideros semoni, Rhinolophus megaphyllus, Miniopterus schreibersii, Miniopterus australis, Scoteanax rueppellii, Chalinolobus gouldii, Chalinolobus dwyeri, Chalinolobus nigrogriseus and Vespadelus troughtoni) and five taxa identified to the generic level (i.e., Mormopterus, Taphozous, Nyctophilus, Scotorepens and Vespadelus). Palaeoecological analysis of the fossil taxa revealed that, unlike the non-volant mammal taxa, bats have remained essentially stable in terms of species diversity and community membership between the mid-Pleistocene rainforest habitat and the mesic habitat that occurs today in the region. The single major exception is Hipposideros semoni, which went locally extinct at Mount Etna. Additionally, while intensive mining operations resulted in the abandonment of at least one cave that served as a maternity roost in the recent past, the diversity of the Mount Etna bat fauna has not declined since European colonisation. The overall resilience through time of the bat species discussed herein is perhaps due to their unique ecological, behavioural, and physiological characteristics as well as their ability to fly, which have allowed them to successfully adapt to their changing environment. This study highlights the importance of palaeoecological analyses as a tool to gain an understanding of how bats have responded to environmental change in the past and provides valuable information for the conservation of threatened modern species, such as H. semoni.

Cette thèse porte sur la sociabilité dans la ville de Tunis à la période coloniale. Cette ville qui a connuun dédoublement urbain, par l'installation d'une ville européenne à côté de la ville arabe. C’est cephénomène particulier qui justifie notre thèse, dont les conséquences ne se réduisent pas au seul cadrephysique, mais touchent aussi bien la société, les normes et les valeurs culturelles.Les corpus de notre étude sont des composants urbains publics de la ville de Tunis qui peuvent êtreorganisés ou spontanés ; les rues, les cafés et les salles de spectacles, dans lesquels on a testél’intensité de la sociabilité. Chaque espace se caractérise par une forme urbaine spécifique, ce qui luidonne plusieurs formes d'occupations, manifestant l'entente ou le conflit et de multiples manières decontrôles policiers.Dans la société coloniale, on trouve des structures d’intégration qui idéalisent la société réelle et desstructures de refus comportant le projet d’une société future meilleure pour ses membres. Nous endéduisons un conflit entre trois communautés ; la nation française qui tente de garder sa haute mainsur la Tunisie, les italiens qui rêvent de reconstruire leur ancien empire Romain, et les tunisiens quiaspirent à retrouver leur indépendance. Ce contexte a permis l'émergence de la personnalité nationaletunisienne. En effet, la loi qui régissait la vie sociale dans la ville de Tunis à l’époque coloniale ; c’estle conflit du pouvoir
This thesis speaks about the sociability in the town of Tunis in the colonial era.This town that lived a double urban life; Arabian and European at the same time. This phenomenon is the main point in this thesis, not only as concerns the place of life but also society values and cultural characteristics.The places of interest in our research are urban and public constituents that are formal and informal: roads, Cafés, Theatres....where we tested the degree of sociability. Each space is characterised by a pacific urban feature that takes many forms of occupations reflecting conflict of harmony, and multiple manners of police control.In the colonial society, we find different modes of integration that idealize the local society or refuse it aiming at sitting the project of a future society considered better for members. We deduce a conflict between three communities: a first one that is the French nation that tries to keep an upper hand on Tunisia, a second one which consists of the Italians who dream of building their ancient Roman Empire, a third one that includes Tunisians who want to regain power over their country and to get independence. This context led to the emergence of a national personality. In fact the main characteristic of the social life in Tunis in the colonial era is a conflict of powers

Les structures d'habitat danoises des iiie-xiie siecles sont rapprochees de celles observees dans le nord-ouest de l'europe. La generalisation des fermes cloturees vers 200 et l'emergence du village medieval aux xie-xiie siecles delimitent les cadres chronologiques. La grande plaine de l'europe septentrionale determine l'aire geographique de l'etude. Les autres pays nordiques en sont donc exclus. La transgression du limes permet de confronter le poids de la culture avec le poids de la nature. Cinq regions test, reparties sur l'ensemble du danemark actuel, permettent d'aborder l'occupation du sol. En dehors des sources archeologiques traditionnelles, ces analyses accordent une place importante aux eglises, premieres sources a nous renseigner sur le peuplement et les capacites economiques dans l'ensemble du pays. Les habitats danois connaissent trois transformations : la cloturation des fermes vers 200, leur agrandissement significatif vers 700 et l'enracinement de l'habitat entre 1000 et 1200 environ. La comparaison avec l'habitat rural europeen repose sur une selection de fouilles etendues depuis le nord de l'allemagne jusqu'au nord de la france. Malgre les differences regionales et quelques decalages chronologiques, trois etapes d'evolution esquissent une evolution analogue
The settlement's patterns and the structures of rural sites in denmark from ca 200 ad to ca 1200 ad are compared to those of the northwestern europe. Fondamental changes in the settlements' organisation determine the chronological framework. The geographical limits follow the north european plain, excluding the other scandinavian countries. Ca 200 ad the farms become larger and enclosed. This lay-out will be maintained during the whole period. The stabilization of the settlement and the emergency of the medieval village mark the end of the study. The analysis of 5 microregions examine the settlement patterns in different parts of the country. The settlement structures are studied by small and large excavations from all of denmark. Three important changes are noted before ca. 1200 : the enclosed farm ca 200, a significant enlarging ca 700 and the development of stable settlements in the beginning of the northern middle ages. The comparison with north-west european excavations shows important regional differences but it put three major changes in rural settlements into evidence

Ce doctorat s'est fixe pour objectif d'embrasser pour la basse-cote d'ivoire, partie jugee "utile" de ce pays, la "situation coloniale" et en particulier, les acteurs de l'aventure coloniale, dans une longue duree. D'ou en 3 parties - la mise en place du systeme colonial (1893-1921), le "bon temps" (1921-1939), l'ebranlement de la societe coloniale (1944-1958 60)-, et une transition - l'effet de guerre (1939-1944)-, une approche demographique (depouillement de l'etat-civil europeen et assimile), mais aussi la reconstitution de nombreux itineraires personnels (sources tant orales qu' ecrites). En examinant tour a tour, les comportements demographiques, la sociabilite, les re- presentations des autres, les colons au travail, l'eveil du nationalisme autochtone, l'auteur a essaye de saisir la complexite des rapports internes entre les differentes composantes du colonat : francais, europeens-etrangers, libano-syriens, metis, afri- cains evolues dont les ivoiriens de citoyennete francaise. L'accent mis, d'une part sur la finalite de ce territoire au sein de l'empire et celle du sejour colonial pour tout colon et assimile protege, d'autre part sur le develop- pement endogene d'une economie de plantation d'ou emerge une bourgeoisie de planteurs, futur moteur de la lutte anti-coloniale, et enfin sur la fermeture de la societe blanche, effrite au passage quelques mythes encore vivaces : celui d'un succes de l'appel a la colonisation en afrique noire, celui de l'assimilation et celui d'une colonisation purement europeenne
The objective of this thesis is to study the colonial situation and more particularly the participants in the colonial adventure, in the long run, in lower ivory coast, which we regard as the relevant part of this country. Hence, in 3 parts - the setting up of the colonial system (1893-1921), the heyday (1921-1939), the crumbling colonial society (1944-1958) - and a transition - the consequences of the war (1939-1944) -, a demographic approch (registry of the europeans and assimilated), but also piecing together many a personnal life itinerary (oral as well as written sources). By examining, in turn, the demographic patterns, the sociability, the way "the others" were depicted, the colonists at work, the awakening of nationalism among the natives, the author has tried to grasp the complexity of the inner relationships between the various components of colonial life : the french, the other europeans, the libano- syrians, the half-breed, the cultured africans including the natives of french citizen ship. The emphasis laid, on the one hand, on the utility of this territory in the empire and that of the colonial stay for all the colonists and assimilated, and on the other, on the endogenous development of a plantation economy dominated by a bour- geoisie of planters, the prospective leaders of the anticolonial struggle and lastly on the closed white society, erodes some inveterate myths: the myth of the successful call for colonization in black africa, of assimilation and of purely white colonization

Au cours des dernières décennies, le nombre de mares a connu un déclin de plus de 50 % dans les pays européens, atteignant parfois jusqu'à 90 % dans certaines régions. Cette diminution a entraîné une forte perte de connectivité entre les mares. Pourtant, ces écosystèmes petits et dispersés sont essentiels au cycle de vie d'une grande diversité d'espèces d'eau douce. Les politiques d'aménagement du territoire, comme la création des Trames Vertes et Bleues en France, visent à améliorer les continuités écologiques pour permettre le maintien des populations existantes et les échanges entre elles. Cependant, les études de connectivité entre les mares doivent prendre en compte les capacités de dispersion des espèces et cette information fait souvent défaut pour orienter les mesures de restauration. Dans le présent travail, nous avons étudié les capacités de dispersion des libellules à plusieurs échelles spatiales ainsi que les caractéristiques biologiques et les facteurs environnementaux qui façonnent leurs mouvements. Dans la première partie, nous avons évalué la colonisation par les libellules de 20 mares normandes pendant les trois années suivant leur création ou leur restauration. Les résultats mettent en évidence des taux de colonisation élevés pendant la première année et aucune différence de richesse spécifique n'a été constatée entre les mares nouvellement créées ou restaurées. Cela suggère que la restauration des mares après un assèchement total ne devrait pas toujours être prioritaire par rapport à la création de nouvelles mares dans les stratégies de gestion. Nous avons constaté que les espèces généralistes étaient davantage présentes la première année après la création ou la restauration des mares, alors que la présence d’espèces spécialistes des forêts augmentait avec l'âge du plan d’eau. Les résultats ont également mis en évidence que le contexte paysager autour des mares (i.e. milieu forestier ou ouvert) avait un effet sur la composition des communautés de libellules. Enfin, l'abondance totale des espèces d'odonates était liée à la densité des plans d’eau alentours. Ce résultat souligne que les mares très connectées peuvent abriter des populations plus importantes que les mares isolées et donc être plus résistantes aux perturbations. La deuxième partie fournit des éléments sur le développement larvaire d'Anax imperator et la relation entre les caractéristiques morphologiques des larves et des adultes. Les résultats suggèrent que la survie de cette espèce pendant la période de maturation pourrait dépendre de la longueur des individus. Nous avons également essayé d'étudier la dispersion natale en marquant 87 individus à l'émergence, mais seuls deux mâles ont été retrouvés après la période de maturation. Enfin, l'effet de deux polluants de l'eau (Round-up et DEET) sur le développement larvaire et les adultes d'Aeshna cyanea a également été étudié à différentes concentrations. Les larves ont été élevées dans des conditions de laboratoire et exposées à des concentrations allant jusqu'à 30 mg.L-1 des deux polluants. Aucun effet des polluants sur les conditions morphologiques des larves ou des ténéraux n'a été détecté, ce qui suggère que A. cyanea est une espèce tolérante aux potentielles pollutions de l'eau dans les mares. Le niveau de la protéine de stress HSP70 était également similaire selon les différents traitements, mais les adultes ténéraux présentaient des niveaux de stress plus élevés que les larves, ce qui suggère que l'émergence a provoqué un stress élevé chez les individus
During the last decades, the number of ponds decreased by more than 50 % in European countries, occasionally reaching up to 90 % in some regions. Their decline in number has led to a strong loss of connectivity between waterbodies. Yet, these small and scattered ecosystems are essential for the life cycle of a high diversity of freshwater species. Land use policies like the creation of Greenways and Blueways in France aim to improve ecological continuities to allow maintenance of existent biological populations and exchanges between them. However, the connectivity between ponds must be considered according to the dispersal abilities of freshwater species and this information often lacks to guide restoration measures. In the present work, we studied the dispersal abilities of dragonflies on several spatial scales and investigated the biological traits and environmental factors that shaped their movements. In the first part, we evaluated the colonization of 20 ponds in Normandy by dragonflies during three years after pond restoration or pond creation. The results highlight high colonization rates during the first year and no difference in species richness was found between newly created or restored ponds. This suggests that restoration of ponds after complete drought should not always be prioritized over pond creation in management strategies. We found that generalist species were more present in the first year after pond creation or restoration, whereas the occurrence of forest specialists increased with the age of the pond. The results also highlighted that the landscape context around ponds (i.e. forest vs. open lands) had an effect on the composition of dragonfly communities. Finally, the total abundance of odonate species was related to the density of other ponds in the surroundings. This result emphasizes that highly connected ponds can support larger populations than isolated ones and thus, be more resilient to perturbations. The second part provides insights into the larval development of Anax imperator and the relationship between morphological traits of larvae and adults. The results suggest that the survival of this species might depend on its body length during the maturation period. We also tried to study the natal dispersal by marking 87 individuals at emergence, but only two males were resighted after the maturation period. Finally, the effect of two water pollutants (i.e. Round-up and DEET) at different concentrations was also investigated on the larval development and adults of Aeshna cyanea. Larvae were reared under laboratory conditions and exposed to concentrations up to 30 mg.L-1 of the two pollutants. No effect of the pollutants was detected on the morphological conditions of larvae or tenerals, suggesting that A. cyanea is tolerant to potential water pollution of ponds. The level of HSP70 stress protein was also similar according to the different treatments, but teneral adults presented higher levels of stress than larvae, suggesting that emergence induced a high stress in the individuals. The third part focuses on the dispersal of A. imperator. We first assessed the local movements within a pond network in the Normandy region

This thesis presents a view of multiple human contacts with Australia, using a variety of data from the literature; linguistic, ethnographic, geographic, physical anthropology and art history. It will be shown that successive groups of people arrived in Australia before its settlement by Europeans. These people made their presence felt in various ways, which have been considered. Some in ancient and later times may have arrived from Africa, perhaps being blown off course and carried by the currents and winds of the Indian Ocean. Later migrations came from Asia, and finally technologically advanced peoples of Indonesia and China came to Australia. Some of these people left artefacts, practices and language that became part of some Aboriginal languages and some religious beliefs and practice, along with some physical biological traces. The peoples named “Aborigines” by European settlers were a diverse set of groups with a diverse set of physical and cultural influences. In particular the Batak people of Sumatra over a period of time contributed a large component of these diverse influences.
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Thesis (M.Sc.) -- School of Medical Sciences, 2007.

This thesis presents a view of multiple human contacts with Australia, using a variety of data from the literature; linguistic, ethnographic, geographic, physical anthropology and art history. It will be shown that successive groups of people arrived in Australia before its settlement by Europeans. These people made their presence felt in various ways, which have been considered. Some in ancient and later times may have arrived from Africa, perhaps being blown off course and carried by the currents and winds of the Indian Ocean. Later migrations came from Asia, and finally technologically advanced peoples of Indonesia and China came to Australia. Some of these people left artefacts, practices and language that became part of some Aboriginal languages and some religious beliefs and practice, along with some physical biological traces. The peoples named “Aborigines” by European settlers were a diverse set of groups with a diverse set of physical and cultural influences. In particular the Batak people of Sumatra over a period of time contributed a large component of these diverse influences.
Thesis (M.Sc.) -- School of Medical Sciences, 2007.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Between 1817-1851, Wellington Valley was a pivotal location in the westward expansion of the British colony of NSW. Both practically and perceptually it marked the most westerly fringe of a swelling colony. Explorers defined it as an outer margin of hospitable land and administrators designated it as a periphery of legal settlement. Government made it a remote outpost, the furthest reach of its influence and authority, and made it a base for military detachments, police fores, magistrates and commissioners. It was a destination for travellers, a launching pad for explorers and a field of labour for missionaries. As an important service centre, a foothold to the interior, it became a floodgate through which the agents of a thriving pastoral industry poured during the squatting boom. During the first three decades of European occupation it was inhabited by all the quintessential characters of the Australian frontier: Aborigines, convicts, commandants, gentlemen settlers and pauper emigrants, bushrangers, missionaries, soldiers and mounted policemen. In short, Wellington Valley appears an excellent vantage point fro which to view the passing of the frontier in colonial Australia. This thesis is a frontier history, studying the first stages of colonial expansion into an already-inhabited domain.. It is a local study, examining a broader process in one particular, geographic location. I bring the sweeping themes of colonisation and contact under the microscope of a local context, illuminating the processes through which he colonists created and constructed frontiers in NSW and assessing the impact on the indigenous inhabitants. I also deal with the remembrance and presentation of the past on a local basis, in which respect this thesis also concerns the field of local history.

La loi mémorielle du 23 février 2005 a créé une grande controverse en France. Les historiens furent le fer de lance de cette opposition, tant cette loi heurtait les fondements même de leur profession. En effet, la loi de 2005 préconisait l’obligation pour ceux-ci d’enseigner le rôle positif de la colonisation française, ce qui contrevient à la liberté de pensée indispensable à la fonction de l’historien. Le présent mémoire analyse la réaction des historiens afin de cerner leurs positions et leur compréhension de la crise. Il porte un nouveau regard sur la crise mémorielle de 2005 et évalue les écrits et actions des historiens. Il s’avère que la crise fut plus complexe que l’interprétation que lui ont donnée les historiens. À cet égard, l’étude souligne l’importance de l’espace public dans la relation entre les communautés mémorielles et les historiens. A ce titre, l’école symbolise ce lieu de rencontre entre histoire et mémoire. Le mémoire examine aussi l’enseignement de l’histoire dans un milieu scolaire affecté par les tensions mémorielles. En réponse à ces débordements de mémoire, l’historien a un devoir de rigueur intellectuelle autant à l’école que dans l’espace public en général.
The memorial law of February 23, 2005 created quite an uproar in France. Historians spearheaded the opposition, as the act collided head on with the very basis of their profession. Actually, the law of 2005 advocated the obligation for them to teach the positive values of French colonization, a recommendation that contradicted the freedom of thought essential to their role as historians. This dissertation analyzes how historians reacted in order to work out their positions and their understanding of the crisis. It sheds new light on the memorial crisis of 2005 and assesses what historians wrote and acted upon in the wake of the law. It turns out that the crisis was more complex than the interpretation given by historians. In this respect, the study underlines the importance of the public arena in the relationship between memorial communities and historians. To that effect, schools symbolize the meeting ground of memory and history. The dissertation also examines the teaching of history in a school environment affected by memorial tensions. In response to these memorial excesses, historians have a duty to uphold intellectual rigor in school as well as in public space in general.

L’empire colonial français se désagrège à partir des années 1950. Après la perte des colonies fondées au Maroc et en Indochine, la France doit faire face à la sécession de sa plus importante colonie, l’Algérie. La population française accepte difficilement cette sécession puisqu’il ne s’agit pas uniquement de la chute de l’empire colonial mais aussi de la destruction d’idéaux qui lui étaient chers. Plus que la peur de ne plus être un empire colonial, les Français redoutent la perte de leur statut de puissance mondiale et de leur vision de pays possédant une mission civilisatrice. Pour comprendre l’évolution de la perception de l’Algérie en France après la décolonisation algérienne à travers plusieurs courants de pensée, ce mémoire se penche sur les éditoriaux publiés dans trois journaux français (Le Figaro, L’Humanité et Le Monde) entre 1962 et 1971 qui traitent d’événements qui se sont déroulés en Algérie. Il se penche plus particulièrement sur le terrorisme de l’OAS au moment de l’indépendance algérienne, le conflit au sein du Front de Libération Nationale (FLN) pour décider qui détiendra le pouvoir, le conflit avec le Front des Forces Socialistes (FFS), la guerre avec le Maroc, le coup d’état de Boumedienne et la nationalisation du pétrole algérien.
The collapse of the French colonial empire begins in the 1950s. After losing its colonies in Morocco and Indochina, France was faced with the secession of its most important colony, Algeria. The French had difficulty accepting the separation as it not only represented the fall of the colonial empire, but the destruction of cherished dreams. More than fearing losing their status as a colonial power, the French fear they will also lose their world great power status and their vision of being a country with a mission civilisatrice. To understand the evolution in the perception the French had of Algeria after the Algerian decolonization through various schools of thought, this thesis looks at editorials published in three French newspapers (Le Figaro, L’Humanité and Le Monde) between 1962 and 1971, which covered events taking place in Algeria. More specifically, this thesis examines OAS terrorist action in the period between the Évian Accords and the Algerian referendum, the conflict within the National Liberation Front (FLN) to decide who would be in power, the conflict with the Socialist Forces Front (SFF), the war with Morocco, the Boumedienne coup d’état and the nationalization of Algerian oil.