مجلة الواحات للبحوث و الدراسات
Volume 15, Numéro 1, Pages 276-295
2022-06-09

Charles De Foucauld, A Missionary Or A French Military Auxiliary In The Conquest Of The Algerian Sahara (1901 -1916)

Auteurs : Melki Fatima Zohra . Benketaf Hafid .

Résumé

The purpose of this article is to shed light on Charles de Foucauld’s mission in the Saoura, the Tidikelt, and the Hoggar regions of Algeria between 1901 and 1916. The method of research in this article relies on collecting and comparing data from different French sources, mainly Foucauld’s correspondences. This article puts into evidence the fact that Charles de Foucauld failed in his mission in converting the autochthons into Christianity, but he could settle friendly relationships with different communities in the aforementioned regions. He was military by profession and actively participated in the French invasion of the Algerian Sahara, which in the end cost him his life in 1916. The findings in this article imply that much has to be reconsidered and studied in order to reveal the true history of the Algerian Sahara and the impact of the French presence there.

Mots clés

Charles de Foucauld ; Missionary ; Algerian Sahara ; French colonisation ; Senoussists ; World War I