Rahal Malika

Category : Law - Political Science - Administration

Malika Rahal

Historian, CNRS Research Director

Director of the Institute of Contemporary History (IHTP), France

Specialist in Contemporary Algeria

Lecturer at Sciences Po Paris and INALCO

Origins & Education

Malika Rahal was born in 1974 in Toulouse, in a France undergoing profound social and intellectual transformation. This generation, born in the 1970s, would develop a new approach to Franco-Algerian history, freed from the immediate passions of conflict and capable of a critical and peaceful perspective on this complex period.

She undertook her higher education at the University of Bordeaux, where she trained in history and sociology, thus acquiring dual expertise that would enrich her historical methodology. This interdisciplinary training would enable her to approach Algerian history from multiple angles, combining political, social, and cultural analysis.

1998: Obtained the agrégation in history, consecration of her academic excellence and gateway to higher education

Her doctoral thesis, defended in 2007 under the supervision of Benjamin Stora at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO), focuses on the Democratic Union of the Algerian Manifesto (UDMA) and the decade of political parties in Algeria (1946-1956). This pioneering work explores a pivotal period in Algerian history, that of the emergence of organized political nationalism.

Scientific Career

Research fields: Political history of contemporary Algeria, Algerian nationalist movement, memory and transmission, oral history, decolonization, Franco-Algerian relations.

Malika Rahal's professional trajectory demonstrates remarkable progression, from secondary teaching to the highest responsibilities in French research.

Early career: Teaching in middle school in Seine-Saint-Denis, formative experience in direct contact with French diversity

Her time at the University of Nottingham as a lecturer offered her an international perspective on teaching Maghrebi history. This British experience enriched her understanding of memorial and historiographical issues seen from abroad.

Integration into CNRS: Research fellow, then research director, recognition of her top-level scientific expertise

2022: Appointment as director of the Institute of Contemporary History (IHTP), reference institution for French and international contemporary history

Alongside her research responsibilities, she teaches at Sciences Po Paris and INALCO, transmitting her expertise to new generations of students in history and international relations.

She runs the research blog "Textures du temps", a collaborative platform that brings together the work of historians specializing in contemporary Algeria, fostering scientific exchanges and research dissemination.

Awards & Recognition

Malika Rahal's work has been acclaimed through numerous awards and academic recognition:

"Ali Boumendjel. Une affaire française, une histoire algérienne" (2010) - Masterful biography of an emblematic figure of Algerian resistance
"Algérie 1962. Une histoire populaire" (2022) - Grand Prize of the Blois History Festival, prestigious recognition from the historical community
"Mille histoires diraient la mienne" (2025) - Latest contribution to Algerian historiography
Numerous academic contributions in leading scientific journals
Recognized expertise by French media on Franco-Algerian issues
Member of scientific committees of specialized research institutions

Impact & Influence

Malika Rahal's influence extends far beyond academic circles to touch French and Algerian society as a whole in their relationship to shared history.

Historiographical renewal: Her work has contributed to renewing the approach to Algerian history by privileging "history from below," giving voice to ordinary actors and direct witnesses.

Memory and transmission: Her approach to oral history has made it possible to collect and preserve precious testimonies on the period of Algerian independence. This innovative methodology considerably enriches our understanding of events and their impact on populations.

Franco-Algerian relations: Her research contributes to easing memorial tensions between France and Algeria by proposing a nuanced and documented reading of historical events. Her work fosters peaceful dialogue between the two shores of the Mediterranean.

Training new generations: Through her teaching at prestigious institutions, she trains future historians, diplomats, and journalists in a fine understanding of Maghrebi and Mediterranean issues.

"Popular history allows us to restore dignity to the ordinary actors of history, too often forgotten by official narratives." - Philosophy guiding Malika Rahal's research

Learn More

Discover Malika Rahal's work and research through these resources:

"Popular history in service of Franco-Algerian memory reconciliation"

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