PierreBourdieuandAbdelmalekSayadmetintheirtwentiesinthemidstoftheAlgerianwarofindependence.Fromtheirfirstmeeting,astrongintellectualfriendshipwasbornbetweentheFrenchphilosopherandtheactivistfromthecolony,nourishedbythesamedesiretounderstandtheworldinordertochangeit.Theworkofbothmenwasdrivenbythenecessityofputtingknowledgetouse,whetherbyunveilingtherelationsofdominationthatstructuredlifeinAlgeriaorbyopeningemancipatoryperspectivesfortheAlgerianpeople.Colonieswere,ofcourse,acustomarysiteofethnographicwork,butBourdieuandSayadrefusedtosacrificescientificrigortopoliticalexpediency,evenasAlgeriadescendeddeeperintowar.Indeed,theactofunderstandingasapoliticalcommitmenttothetransformationofsocietylayattheheartoftheirproject.Basedonextensiveinterviewsanddeeparchivalwork,Am穩nP矇rezrediscoverstheanticolonialoriginsofthepathbreakingsocialthoughtofthesebrilliantthinkers.BourdieuandSayad,heargues,forgedanotherwayofdoingpolitics,layingthefoundationsofarevolutionarypedagogy,notjustforanticolonialliberationbutfortruesocialemancipation.
