The <i>harat</i> of Sétif: living together in a colonial Algerian town

Abstract This article explores a unique case of Jewish–Muslim cohabitation in colonial Algeria: the harat in the town of Sétif. Families from different religious communities shared communal facilities, private spaces and everyday activities in these housing complexes. At the same time, these neighbours arrived in the city under different historical conditions, possessed different legal statuses and occupied different positions in colonial society. Through a study of the setting, architecture and oral traditions of the harat , this article shows that being neighbours in colonial Algeria fostered a locally grounded sense of cohesion in an age when abstract forms of belonging gained ground.