La relation des horizons: l’Alsace et l’Algérie, par les liens de la défaite (1870–1914)

This article explores the imaginary and narratives of the impossible relationship between Alsace and Algeria in the aftermath of the 1871 defeat. Reflecting on the connections between the lost province and the colony shaping the “new France,” we firstly argue that the complicated association of Alsace’s loss and the colonial adventure is embodied by the Turco. Fighting alongside the French army in Alsace, this heroic Algerian soldier, son of the defeated and brother of the conqueror, struggles indeed to find his place in the national family romance. Revealingly, after praising the bravery of this “good Frenchman,” the government was considering ceding Algeria to Prussia in exchange for Alsace, we recall. Linking this under-studied episode to the failed relationships between Algerians and Alsatians recounted in fictions, this article finally sets out to demonstrate that the prevented analogy between national and colonial wars lies at the heart of Maupassant’s short story “L’horrible.” (in French)