Deindustrialisation and industrialisation in Algeria. The rock of Sisyphus[Désindustrialisation et industrialisation en Algérie. Le rocher de Sisyphe]

Can we speak of deindustrialisation in Algeria, knowing that there has been no completed process of industrialisation in this country comparable to what has been observed in emerging economies or even in certain developing countries that have succeeded in setting up a manufacturing industry? This paper will therefore focus on industrial 'episodes', the most consistent of which was undoubtedly the one that took place between the mid-1960s and the late 1980s. This article formulates a series of questions about these different moments and puts forward some explanatory hypotheses. The historical approach chosen aims to highlight the similarities and differences between these events, to identify the major trends and constants, and also the factors that led to a break with the past. A common thread then emerges which suggests that these different episodes are phases of a single industrialisation process interspersed with interruptions leading to long periods of deindustrialisation.