This talk will start out by explaining why historians should show more interest in Albert Camus, and will place his personal history (and writing) firmly in the context of late colonial Algeria. I'll go on to talk about postcolonialism as it relates to History, and how I see Michel de Certeau's work fitting into the picture. Finally, I'll try to bring Camus and Certeau together, and discuss how their experiences and ideas can provide a fresh perpective on the cultural history of European colonialism.

Dr Strachan studied and taught at the universities of Warwick (1997-2002) and Manchester (2002-2007) before joining Lancaster in September 2007. His research has focused on the cultural history of modern France and the French overseas empire. He has published on the history of regionalism, education, medicine, food and drink, and on different forms and representations of national and colonial identity. More recently, his work explores the theory and the writing of history in comparative context, with a particular focus on empire and decolonisation, and the historical importance of the work of Albert Camus, Michel de Certeau and others. He is currently working on the relationship between psychoanalysis and empire, and writing a book on the European settlers in North Africa in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.