A review by lukescalone
Colonial Harem, Volume 21 by Malek Alloula

4.0

I agree with some of the reviewers below that, in some respects, this book is irresponsible. Some of the photographs are borderline (if not outright) pornographic, and Alloula makes no attempt to censor the faces of the girls involved, making it a direct attack on privacy. On the other hand, it is a powerful criticism of the colonial, male gaze towards Algerian women. Do the benefits of this intellectual argument outweigh the negatives of such a violation of privacy? I'm inclined to say no, but had Alloula taken the time to make these changes, this would have been a five-star book.