International conference :The Massacres of 8 May 1945: Dimensions – Perspectives – Impacts

Wed, 03/11/2026 - 10:25

On the occasion of the eighty-first anniversary of the massacres of 8 May 1945 in Algeria, the University of 8 May 1945 – Guelma is organizing its twenty-fourth international conference:

 

The Massacres of 8 May 1945: Dimensions – Perspectives – Impacts

 

Conference President: Professor Prof. Mahmoud Debabeche – Rector of the University of 8 May 1945 Guelma

General Coordinator of the Conference: Professor Prof. Aïda Ben Hamida – Vice-Director of the University in charge of External Relations

President of the Scientific Committee: Professor Prof. Abdelnasser Omar

President of the Organizing Committee: Professor Prof. Messoud Boulouh

Conference Preface

On 8 May 1945, as Europe, America, and the colonies celebrated the Allied victory over Nazism and the end of the Second World War, Algerians in various regions of the country sought to express similar joy. However, what was intended as a day of celebration turned into a bloodbath in the regions of Sétif, Guelma, and Kherrata within the Constantine department in eastern Algeria. There, French colonial authorities and European settler militias carried out horrific massacres against Algerian demonstrators on what is known as “Victory Day” (VE Day).

This colonial violence was not an isolated incident; it formed part of a long-standing policy of ethnic cleansing aimed at displacing the indigenous population and replacing it with European settlers, in line with colonial ideology and the ultimate goal of establishing a permanent “French Algeria.” Nevertheless, Algerians persistently defended their land, religion, and language, resulting in ongoing resistance throughout the colonial period—often described as the “long colonial night.”

The two world wars expanded notions of liberation among colonized peoples, including those in North Africa. The principle of the right of peoples to self-determination fueled intense national political activity in Algeria during the 1940s. The aspiration for independence grew and spread widely among Algerians, arousing fear among French colonial authorities. From the outset of the war, they sought psychological and military means to crush Algerian dreams of sovereignty and freedom, culminating in the massacres of 8 May 1945. These events raise important questions about the dimensions and backgrounds of the massacres, the ways in which political visions shaped roadmaps for both the Algerian and French sides, and their lasting internal and external impacts across various domains from 1945 to the present.