CULTURAL IDENTITY IN THE WRITINGS OF THE PIONEERS OF THE ALGERIAN REFORM MOVEMENT: A READING OF THE CONTENTS OF THE NEWSPAPER AL-MUNTAQID AS A MODEL

Abstract

This study revolves around the role of the newspaper Al-Muntaqid, founded in 1925, as a pivotal media tool employed by the pioneersof the reform movement in Algeria- led by the scholar Abdelhamid Ben Badis- to disseminate their renaissance project and promote cultural and national awareness prior to the establishment of the Association of Muslim Scholars. The study sought to examine the cultural reality and indicators of the reformist renaissance before 1931, introduce the newspaper's inception and most prominent figures, observe its cultural and educational goals and principles for enlightening society, and analyze the nature of its media discourse. The findings concluded that Al-Muntaqid served as a pioneering intellectual platform that constituted the nucleus of national awareness, highlighting the role of journalistic articles in defending identity against colonial assimilation policies, and revealing the success of reform pioneers in adapting discourse through influential methods that contributed to awakening the educational and cultural renaissance and unifying the intellectual ranks in Algeria.