What is a spectre, a ghost? Derrida, the philosopher from Algeria who haunts this project, said in the 1983 film Ghost Dance that a ghost is cinema plus psychoanalysis.

This project is about cinema, its visualizations and its ghosts. Many of the films and filmmakers described were closely involved with psychoanalysis from Fanon's clinical practice to the explorations of post-traumatic stress, as a national syndrome, in Rachida; and the familial crisis cathected by Algeria, in Caché.

The cinematic spectre that returns most often is The Battle of Algiers:

• In 2003, the Pentagon hosted a now legendary screening of The Battle of Algiers that now seems to be part of its switch towards a counterinsurgency strategy.
  
• In 2004, General Charles Wald visited Algeria as part of his effort to build up military links between the U.S. and Algeria. Asked for his estimate of their counterinsurgency practice, he replied: "I think they're doing a fantastic job. I think they're very good at the issue of fighting the GSPC. They've unfortunately had a lot of practice at it. It's a very big issue for Algeria. We respect their ability to do that. Matter of fact, I'm taking a team of general officers from European Command to Algiers this spring and we're going to have a meeting with the Algerian military and have them tell us about both insurgences during the battle of Algiers and how they're fighting terrorism [now] and try to learn from them. We think we have a lot to learn from the Algerians."
• In 2005, the French government made use of a censorship law, passed during the Algerian war, to deal with street disturbances in the banlieux (the suburbs), often involving Algerian diaspora young French people.
  
• In 2006, the US Army and Marine Corps issued a joint Field Manual FM 3-24 Counterinsurgency that contained many references to Algeria and promoted The Battle of Algiers as recommended viewing for counterinsurgents.
  

Begin this path: Spectres of Algeria

1. Women of Algiers
2. Battling for Algeria
3. Where is Where?
4. Watching Tunisia, 1/14/2011
5. “Algeria” Unbound: The New Countervisuality

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