The Dialectic of Identity and National Security in Algeria

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between Algeria's national identity components and the state's security architecture since independence. It argues that the political management of identity pluralism has been fundamentally securitized, with cultural and linguistic demands recast as existential threats. Combining the Copenhagen School's securitization framework, social constructivism, and postcolonial theory, the analysis draws on constitutional texts, official discourses, and movement literature. The findings show that exclusionary identity approaches have not achieved cohesion but instead fueled cycles of violence and radicalization. The study concludes that national security remains structurally tied to the state's ability to shift toward a pluralist model that recognizes - rather than reduces - identity intersections