The policy of cantonnement and the communal system in Oranie during nineteenth-century colonial Algeria

In a settler colonial logic, where land constitutes a key resource for domination, the expropriation of tribes was often followed by their cantonnement. This strategy aimed to control them while freeing up space for French and European settlers. This article examines the implementation of this policy and its relationship with the establishment of the communal system in Algeria, focusing on the Oranie region in the nineteenth century. Through the study of two Indigenous villages, in Oran and Sidi Bel Abbès, this work highlights settlement patterns that challenge the commonly held view of the failure of this policy. Unpublished data from archives and field surveys provide a fresh perspective on this policy, placing it within the broader logic of assimilation. The article also highlights the resistance and/or adaptation of Indigenous populations to this policy and its impact on their social and urban life.