Arab Offices

The Arab offices are administrative structures installation by the France after the conquest of the Algérie in 1830.

French knows little about the country which they occupy and its inhabitants. Their knowledge of the language, the religion, the culture is very poor whereas they must live with the daily newspaper with the Population. Thus from Arab offices is born the idea which would make it possible to establish a contact between the French authorities and the indigenous population.

Since 1833, a first experiment is undertaken by Lamoricière captain in the province of Algiers. In 1844, the organization of the Arab Offices is defined by a ministerial decree.

There exists a central management, offices divisional (office of province), offices of first class (offices of subdivision) and offices of second class (offices of circle).

To all the levels, these offices are subordinated to the military authority. In 1870, there exists nearly 50 offices with an Arab secretary (khodja) and often a Médecin. The safety is ensured by a group of Spahis.

The missions of the Arab offices will evolve/move. Initially, the purpose of they are to facilitate the infiltration thanks to the information. The contact with the population and the comprehension of its political springs are essential with the Colonisation country. It is a question thereafter of managing a country which had been largely abandoned with tribal anarchy by the Turkish administration.

In the Arab offices, from 150 to 200 officers play the part of judges and tax collectors of the taxes. Much of them considers that they have a civilizing mission and that their goal is to bring progress and the emancipation to the natives. So the officers of the Arab offices often defend the interests of the natives against increasingly many Europeans to settle in Algeria.

The problem of the grounds is often at the origin of quarrels. About 1845, the spaces allotted to the nomads which one tries of sédentariser, are increasingly reduced. A policy of quartering deprives the Musulman S of the best grounds which are then acquired by Europeans with the approval of a " The Council of Contentieux" then of a " Commission of Transactions".

The increasing opposition between the Arab offices and the colonists will develop until the Second empire. Indeed, whereas the constitution of the IIe République affirms " Algeria integral part of France " , Napoleon III is made the apostle of a " Arab Nation " , centered with Damas and supposed to establish a countervailing power with the Othoman power.

This policy increases the mistrust of the European population towards the Arab offices which symbolize the policy of Napoleon III who goes until affirming: " It is necessary to confine Europeans and not the natives ".

The fall of the Second Empire at the time of the war of 1870 marks the end of the Arab policy: the Arab offices are gradually abandoned. In the administration of the grounds the policy of quartering of the Moslems is given to work.

The experience gained by the Arab offices in Algeria will be made profitable in the " indigenous businesses " in Morocco.

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