BROADCASTS.com

Judith Surkis's\xa0Sex, Law, and Sovereignty in French Algeria, 1830-1930\xa0(Cornell UP, 2019) traces the intersection of colonialism, law, land expropriation, sex, gender, and family during the century after the French conquest of Algeria in 1830. Seeking to assimilate Algerian land while differentiating Algerian Muslims from European settlers, colonial authorities developed a system that confined Muslim law to family matters while subjecting Algerian property to\xa0French Civil law. Securing and extending French sovereignty over\xa0Algeria, this system deprived Algerian Muslims of full citizenship rights while reinforcing\xa0French colonial authority.\nSex, Law, and Sovereignty\xa0is a\xa0rigorous and provocative critical "history of the present" that illuminates the persistence of the "Muslim question" in contemporary France.\xa0In chapters focused\xa0on polygamy, repudiation, and\xa0child marriage, the book traces the ways that the French fantasies of the family, including the\xa0sexualization of Muslim women and a preoccupation with the sexual "excesses" of Muslim men, found expression in legislation that segregated the legal control of property from the regulation of\xa0bodies, beliefs, and personhood. A fascinating genealogy that understands colonial law and\xa0the problem of difference within a broader cultural field, the book is an impressive, compelling analysis with striking resonances for a Franco-Algerian\xa0present still shaped by the legacies of\xa0the colonial past.\n\ufeffRoxanne Panchasi\xa0is an Associate Professor of History at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada who specializes in twentieth and twenty-first century France and its empire.\xa0If you have a recent title to suggest for the podcast, please send her an email (panchasi@sfu.ca).\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices\nSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies