Sociocultural Components and Construction of the Algerian Amazigh Identity

Amira Ahmed Kebabi

doi:10.35516/Hum.2026.8824

Authors

Amira Ahmed Kebabi Department of English Language and Literature, School of Foreign Languages ,University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2116-6184

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35516/Hum.2026.8824

Keywords:

Algerian amazigh, national identity, social identity, ingroup vs. outgroup relations

Abstract

Objectives: The present study investigates the components constituting Algerian Amazigh identity, how they perceive themselves and others, and how other social groups perceive them.

Methods: To achieve these objectives, 20 Algerian Amazigh were interviewed, and 100 Arab Algerians were asked to respond to a questionnaire. The participants’ responses were analyzed within Van Dijk's (2007) socio-cognitive ‘ingroup-outgroup’ polarization framework.

Results: The findings indicate that Amazigh identity is constructed from multilayered identities; each layer reflects common attitudes and beliefs that are not static but negotiated. Amazigh identity can be represented by concentric circles radiating out from the central Amazigh group identity, interacting with other Amazigh groups' identities in the wider circle to form a homogeneous and cohesive group with shared interests. The Amazigh groups interact with the Arab community in a broader circle to develop a national identity, and then both interact with other communities in the wider peripheral circle. The questionnaire results show that Arab participants have positive perceptions of the Amazigh. However, the latter seem to have biased perceptions of Arabs due to faulty reasoning related mainly to political and social factors.

Conclusions: Amazigh identity is complex and layered, involving both internal group cohesion and external interactions with the Arab community. Despite positive perceptions from Arabs, the Amazigh hold biased views toward Arabs, shaped by historical and socio-political contexts.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Benhattab, A. (2011). Aspects in language in contact in Algeria: The case of Kabyle and Mzabi minorities in Oran. Unpublished Master’s thesis, University of Oran, Algeria.

Berger, P., & Luckmann, T. (1966). The social construction of reality: A treatise in the sociology of knowledge. Penguin Books.

Blommaert, J. (2005). Discourse: A critical introduction. Cambridge University Press.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Bucholtz, M. (2011). White kids: Language, race, and styles of youth identity. Cambridge University Press.

Bucholtz, M., & Hall, K. (2005). Identity and interaction: A sociocultural linguistic approach. Discourse Studies, 7(4-5), 585-614. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445605054407

Eckert, P. (2002). Demystifying sexuality and desire. In K. Campbell-Kibler, R. J. Podesva, S. J. Roberts, & A. Wong (Eds.), Language and sexuality: Contesting meaning in theory and practice (pp. 99–110). CSLI Publications.

Edelman, M. (1977). The language of participation and the language of resistance. Human Communication Research, 3(2), 159-179. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.1977.tb00514.x

El Aissati, A. (2005). A socio-historical perspective on the Amazigh (Berber) cultural movement in North Africa. Africa Focus, 18(1), 59-72. https://doi.org/10.1163/2031356X-0180102005

Ferguson, J., & Gupta, A. (1992). Beyond ‘culture’: Space, identity, and the politics of difference. Cultural Anthropology, 7(1), 6-23. https://www.jstor.org/stable/656518

Fishman, J. A. (2007). What do you lose when you lose your language? In G. Cantoni (Ed.), Stabilizing indigenous languages (pp. 71-81). Northern Arizona University.

Habbouche, K. (2013). Language maintenance and language shift among Kabyle speakers in Arabic speaking communities: The case of Oran. Unpublished Master’s thesis, University of Oran, Algeria.

Haddadou, M. A. (2000). Le guide de la culture Berbere [The Guide to Berber Culture]. Edition Paris Méditerranée.

Halbwachs, M. (1992). On collective memory (L. A. Coser, Ed., Trans.). The University of Chicago Press.

Hall, S. (1997). Representation: Cultural representations and signifying practices. Sage Publications & Open University.

Mouhleb, N. (2005). Language and conflict: Kabylia and the Algerian state. Unpublished Master’s thesis, University of Oslo, Norway.

Nilsson, R. (2018). Identities from the Kabylie: Narrating Amazigh identity through conflict understanding. Unpublished bachelor thesis, Malmö University, Sweden.

Paltridge, B. (2012). Discourse analysis: An introduction. Continuum International Publishing Group.

Sahih International. (n.d.). The Qur'an (30:22). Retrieved from https://www.myislam.org/surah-ar-rum/ayat-22/

Strath, B. (2008). Belonging and European identity. In G. Delanty, R. Wodak, & P. Jones (Eds.), Identity, belonging and migration (pp. 21-37). University of Sussex.