The Noble Savage from Amerindian to Arab: Continuities in French Perceptions of the Other.

Abstract

Previous discussions of the development of French racial stereotyping of the Arabs and Kabyles in Algeria overlook the continuities upon which these stereotypes were built. The archetype of the Noble Savage, particularly as inspired by the Amerindians of New France, played a critical role in the evolution of French perceptions of the Arabs. The Noble Savage influenced French perceptions of the Arabs during the Napoleonic conquest of Egypt, but his influence gained momentum during the French colonization of Algeria. Although the Arabs did not conform completely to the image of the Noble Savage, the indigenous Kabyles of Algeria appeared to be his embodiment. The French had encountered the Noble Savage in New France and his image had been disseminated further through the popular travel accounts and the 'natural man' of French intellectuals such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In discovering the Kabyles, the French discovered the perfect Noble Savage. The valorization of the Kabyles as Noble Savages resulted in the demonization of the Arabs as barbaric and ignorant. This led to a division in French attitudes between the 'good' Kabyle and the 'bad' Arab. Although French colonial and imperial interests in Algeria contributed to the formulation and perpetuation of this division, the long-standing and pervasive French understanding of and sympathy for the Noble Savage significantly facilitated its development.