A history of violence, a decade of silence: Towards a Deleuzian third space between fight and flight in the nomadic texts of postmillennial decennie noire cinema

Abstract

How does one move forward, as an ordinary citizen, when one lives in the aftermath of a conflict so brutal that it left 200,000 people dead, many of them civilians? This thesis aims to answer this question by exploring the possibility of a third space between fight and flight. In doing so, it draws upon the concepts of French philosopher Gilles Deleuze. Effectuating close readings of four postmillennial films that treat the little known Algerian civil war of the 1990s, known as la décennie noire, research into this conflict’s rare filmic depictions is shown to be highly germane, given the myriad sociopolitical challenges that infuse today’s society and the increasingly futile attempts of warring factions to coexist. Invoking the refusal by Deleuze of a set ontology and acknowledging his rhizomatic notions of change and becoming, as opposed to being and stability, the study will demonstrate the oppressive nature of binarism and show why both fight and flight can and should be problematised. Following the cinematic trajectories of marginalised characters, the Deleuzian body is presented as a transformative force capable of new and powerful movements, ultimately excavating a third space between fight and flight. It will be further demonstrated how identities are destabilised and deterritorialised, molarities become molecular and bodies collide, amidst a backdrop of affective intensities. Subjectivity is ultimately subsumed, thus opening a third space for civil war victims, where protagonists choose neither to take up arms nor to flee, hence rejecting fight and flight and choosing a third space between the two. This enables a hitherto obscure conflict to be reimagined and become more knowable, distilling a micropolitics where the past can return in different forms, as a traumatised body politic is wrested from the crucible of its ossified past. In conclusion, the imbrication of film with philosophy is considered, as a tool with which to address and enhance understanding of sociopolitical issues, especially amongst young people. Accordingly, it is suggested that findings could be incorporated into creative pedagogical methods, such as phenomenon-based learning. More specifically, it is proposed that the concept of a third space between fight and flight paves the way for a more nuanced understanding of conflict by both political and legal bodies.