Abstract EN:

Stephane Gsell (1864-1932) devoted the best part of his activity to the history of ancient North Africa, particularly Algeria. As a man in favour of the French presence in the Maghreb and dreading its removal, he proved able to reject biological racism, to be a good observer of the natives' life and to propose liberal projects of reform that aimed at restoring the Algerians’ dignity. As a historian, Gsell was above all a man with a practical background, collecting and editing documents. He published numerous articles and books among which the archeological atlas of Algeria that is still one of the best of its kind. His master-piece is unquestionably the monumental ancient history of North Africa. His presentation of Africa’s natives suffers from his attachment to Greek and roman canons and his failure to understand the religious phenomenon. Yet Gsell provided a full documentation about the native kingdoms and thus could underline all their treasures. He could not make a synthesis of the history of the roman empire in Africa. The separation between the early and the late empires is less a matter of chronology than of distribution between the positive and the negative consequences of the roman presence, and the whole interpretation is guided by the prospect of the end of the latin influence in north Africa. These latest aspects of his work, however, should not overshadow the essential point : the present research still feeds on Gsell's work.