There are two clear reasons for why I hate Camus 1) Whenever he mentioned Algerians in his writings, he wrote about them with this contempt and racism (practically calling them barbaric at times) 2) His fake-ass, self-centered defense of the continuation of French colonialism in Algeria.
In that light, it is horrible that schools can teach Camus’ writings and philosophies without pointing out the problematic nature of his attitudes towards Algerians.
My dislike for Camus is especially reinforced now that I am researching about the Algerian Independence War (for reasons) because there are many pied-noirs (this is how they called French Colonial Settlers in Algeria), who speak of Algeria with the same nostalgia and hyper-romanticization. And it is easy for them to do so. The French State ensured full citizenry and human rights for the pieds-noirs (from my understanding). They were the ones who got access to education and services. They were the ones for whom France could still be seen as “un pays des droits de l’homme.”
Meanwhile, estimates say that at the time of independence only 5% of children in Algeria had gotten formal education. There was a complete lack of investment in improving the managerial skills of Algerians. Infrastructure was lacking.
In a sense, these pieds-noirs remind me a lot of current Europeans. There is this idealization of colonialism– which is only possible because of the constant erasure of the sheer violence imposed on local, indigenous populations. There is … an entitlement that makes one uneasy – particularly, if they, themselves, are the product of colonialism/imperialism (as is my case).
This idea that Algeria is Camus and that Camus desperately needed Algeria to remain static– an Algeria that naturally, without much thought, would prioritize the needs of Camus.
The words fail me and I can’t quite pinpoint how to explain the deep unease at witnessing a colonial settler centering their needs above those of the local population. Alas, perhaps, these words shan’t come to me before I post this note.
At the same time I feel this great bitterness at the way Camus was taught to me. As I hinted previously, teachers and schools are perfectly capable at handing you The Stranger (L’Etranger), without ever discussing the Western gaze and the subsequent disdain towards the local population.
Looking back, The Stranger seems strangely ridiculous to me (for personal reasons but yes, strangely ridiculous). Starting with the philosophy of … what was it…nihilism? existentialism? Yes that philosophy. That life is just a series of repeated actions with no rhyme or reason. Is there anyone who feels this more than the colonized? Your opportunities depend on this state that does not even truly see you as human. Your children, as far as you can tell, will also be affected. And yet, if you do not wake up every morning and put one foot in front of the other, then your existence… you are no longer fighting for your existence. Everyone is in the same situation as you. So you fighting to exist is your way to push back against the colonizer’s gaze. Either way, I am getting muddled with this point. The short of it is that it seems ridiculous to have this White French Settler write an entire philosophy that perfectly describes the condition of the colonized while simultaneously showing a lack of total empathy and awareness towards their plight. It is ridiculous and laughable.
Don’t ask me to like Camus. I can’t. I shall not. I refuse to invest my time in singing his praises.
annaxmalina
dededos
stormborns
