Nabila Metair - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Nabila Metair
The Journal of North African Studies, 2019
This essay serves as an initial analysis of events relating to the protection of twentieth centur... more This essay serves as an initial analysis of events relating to the protection of twentieth century cultural objects produced in Oran during the colonial period. It considers the role Law 98-04 played in establishing the legal framework of heritage protection in Algeria, and considers how the law was applied, especially since the 1990s when civil society associations began working toward using this law to protect Oran's architectural heritage. Looking through the prism of what is today known as 'national identity', the essay describes various cases in which built environments were either preserved or destroyed. A significant section of this essay is dedicated to the role that Oran's associations have played over the years in enhancing heritage consciousness. Particular attention is paid to the association Bel Horizon, created in 2001, whose organised walking tours through historical routes in Oran and whose training of local guides have led to annual meetings that gather together hundreds of Oran's residents. At the same time, the Algerian state has undertaken operations in support of heritage protection, the most important of which has been the rehabilitation of buildings in downtown Oran. This rehabilitation has allowed locals to rediscover their city through new means, and it has allowed the city to declare its candidacy to host the 2021 Mediterranean games. KEYWORDS Built heritage; twentieth century architecture; colonial architecture; heritage action; algerian heritage; architecture protection This essay addresses two principal questions that have pressing importance for historic preservation. Focusing on Oran, a city endowed with a European-style urban fabric and architecture, it asks what steps are being taken today to safeguard recent architecture, that is, the products of the colonial period? Further, it asks what roles do the state and civil society respectively play in protecting and interpreting the city's architectural heritage? (Figure 1) In 1998 the first law bearing on independent Algeria's cultural heritage was proclaimed, although its implementing decrees were not formally published until 2003. Commonly referred to as Law 98-04, it defines the measures that should be taken to protect, as well as to promote, the country's tangible and intangible cultural heritage. This law defined the scope of possibilities
The Journal of North African Studies, 2019
This essay serves as an initial analysis of events relating to the protection of twentieth centur... more This essay serves as an initial analysis of events relating to the protection of twentieth century cultural objects produced in Oran during the colonial period. It considers the role Law 98-04 played in establishing the legal framework of heritage protection in Algeria, and considers how the law was applied, especially since the 1990s when civil society associations began working toward using this law to protect Oran's architectural heritage. Looking through the prism of what is today known as 'national identity', the essay describes various cases in which built environments were either preserved or destroyed. A significant section of this essay is dedicated to the role that Oran's associations have played over the years in enhancing heritage consciousness. Particular attention is paid to the association Bel Horizon, created in 2001, whose organised walking tours through historical routes in Oran and whose training of local guides have led to annual meetings that gather together hundreds of Oran's residents. At the same time, the Algerian state has undertaken operations in support of heritage protection, the most important of which has been the rehabilitation of buildings in downtown Oran. This rehabilitation has allowed locals to rediscover their city through new means, and it has allowed the city to declare its candidacy to host the 2021 Mediterranean games. KEYWORDS Built heritage; twentieth century architecture; colonial architecture; heritage action; algerian heritage; architecture protection This essay addresses two principal questions that have pressing importance for historic preservation. Focusing on Oran, a city endowed with a European-style urban fabric and architecture, it asks what steps are being taken today to safeguard recent architecture, that is, the products of the colonial period? Further, it asks what roles do the state and civil society respectively play in protecting and interpreting the city's architectural heritage? (Figure 1) In 1998 the first law bearing on independent Algeria's cultural heritage was proclaimed, although its implementing decrees were not formally published until 2003. Commonly referred to as Law 98-04, it defines the measures that should be taken to protect, as well as to promote, the country's tangible and intangible cultural heritage. This law defined the scope of possibilities