On Writings on Empire and Slavery

In this work, Jennifer Pitts assembles a number of Alexis de Tocqueville’s writings on Algeria and how slavery related to Algeria. In doing so, allows the reader to come to a semi-coherent understanding of Tocqueville’s views on colonization. While he does not necessarily contradict himself, it can be difficult to reconcile some of his ideas with others. For example, he finds it necessary to abolish slavery in the colonies, but he also has little issue with putting native Algerians to the sword in the name of conquest.

Pitts points out in her introduction that Tocqueville is a powerful (and early) example of how liberalism, nationalism, and imperialism could be intertwined. At no point does Tocqueville concern himself with possible contradictions between liberal thought and the importance of empire. As such, Tocqueville is a man that fits well with the idea that Algeria may be better suited to be fit into the category of the second colonial empire, unlike Jennifer Sessions (see: By Sword and Plow), who put the region in a position where it fit neatly into neither first empire or second empire.

Like Sessions, however, Tocqueville dedicates an abundance of effort writing about settler colonialism and how to make settler colonialism occur in Algeria. To Tocqueville, Algeria is a place distinct from Europe—unlike those that marketed Algeria as a realm similar to the Mediterranean provinces of metropolitan France. With his claim that Algeria is distinct from Europe—more importantly, that Algeria is as culturally different from France as a place can be—Tocqueville somewhat engages in the formation of orientalist thought. Algeria therefore sits opposite of France, both in terms of its placement on the Mediterranean, but also as its placement on an east-west dichotomy. In order for administrators and metropolitan officials to entice Europeans to arrive, Tocqueville argues that they must believe Algeria is a place where they can get wealthy. This came to fruition later, as many settlers acquired land, although the Algeria never fulfilled its promise of wealth entirely.

It becomes clear in Tocqueville’s work that the debates over slavery, which originated in the French Revolution of 1789-99, were far from over. While slavery was indeed abolished in 1794, it was brought back in the colonies under Napoleon in 1802. Due to recent developments, Tocqueville came to realize that slavery was neither desirable nor necessary. One of these developments that Tocqueville mentions is the rise of the working class, which often does the same work as slaves. In Democracy in America, Tocqueville argues that slavery was an economic weakness, and this is true in his thoughts in Writings on Empire and Slavery as well.

Overall, this book is necessary to those who wish to see Algeria as seen by liberal political figures. Tocqueville’s writings on Algeria and slavery are not his most famous, but they are still important.