The Contribution of Autobiographies to the Construction of National Identity through the Lives of Leaders of the Algerian National Movement : Hocine Lahouel as a Case Study

Abstract

Autobiographies and biographies are important sources for contemporary historical research. They show how individual experience intersects with political and social change, enable new readings of national history, preserve collective memory, and reveal how national figures helped shape identity and a sense of belonging. This study examines the contribution of autobiographical writings by leaders of the Algerian national movement to the formation of national identity, focusing on Hocine Lahouel as a leading figure in that movement. It considers the role of biographical writing in documenting political struggle and interpreting the intellectual and political changes that shaped national consciousness under colonial rule. Using a historical-analytical method informed by the biographical approach, the study traces Lahouel's political career and assesses his role in the national movement. The analysis draws on personal memoirs, historical sources, and relevant scholarship. It first defines the conceptual framework of biography and its place in historical writing; it then examines the contribution of autobiographical writings to collective memory and national identity; finally, it analyzes Lahouel's experience as a case linking an individual trajectory to the broader transformations of the Algerian national movement.

The study concludes that autobiographical writings are both a body of evidence and an analytical means of understanding national history. They help situate events within their political, social, and intellectual contexts. Hocine Lahouel's life also reflects the role of national elites in strengthening a sense of belonging and national unity, while revealing the organizational and intellectual challenges that preceded the Revolution of 1 November 1954. His biography is therefore an important source for preserving national memory and reconstructing Algerian identity on firm historical foundations.