Scientific event

This study day falls within the growing interest in the issues of urban space in Algeria, as the phenomenon of urban violence has imposed itself as one of the most pressing sociological and legal challenges confronting contemporary urban societies. Since the early 1990s, Algerian cities have witnessed rapid structural transformations that deeply affected social and spatial organization, leading to a reshaping of the urban environment and the relations and interactions it encompasses (Wacquant, 2008; Botfnocht, 1982).

The accelerated urban expansion beyond the capacity of institutional frameworks to absorb has contributed to what sociological literature terms the “crisis of urban modernity” (Davis, 2006). This crisis is essentially manifested in the sharp contradiction between the speed of urbanization and the slow construction of mechanisms of social and institutional regulation. The rapid transition from rural surroundings to urban settings, fueled by demographic growth, has resulted in the emergence of socially fragile zones on the peripheries and outskirts of cities (Borja & Castells, 1997), where the boundaries between rural and urban spaces dissolve, producing undefined areas in which traditional regulatory mechanisms no longer operate and modern mechanisms remain incomplete.

This urban transformation was accompanied by a parallel shift in the Algerian family structure, marked by the gradual transition from the extended family model to the nuclear family model (Jaghloul, 1993; Saidouni, 1984). This shift is organically linked to economic transformations that redefined the nature of work and its function in organizing social life. The move from a collective economy based on family solidarity to a functional economy of individual character weakened traditional solidarity mechanisms and paved the way for what sociology describes as the “crisis of social bonds.”

With the decline of formal social institutions such as the school, mosque, and local administration, and the erosion of informal institutions such as the extended family, neighborhood, and traditional relational fabric (Al-Suwaidi, 1994), problematic behavioral practices emerged within the Algerian urban fabric, foremost among them the phenomenon of urban violence. Field studies revealed that this phenomenon shifted from the realm of “exceptional incidents” to that of a “structural phenomenon” measurable and subject to sociological study (Messaïtfa Salam, 2005), thereby imposing on researchers and policymakers the necessity of addressing it through rigorous scientific methodology.

The Algerian legislative system responded to this mounting social pressure through a series of legal amendments affecting the Penal Code and its complementary legislative texts (Law No. 09-01, 2009; Legislative Decree 23-01, 2023), in an attempt to recalibrate the criminal justice system to confront new forms of urban violence. Yet this legislative response itself raises a profound methodological question: Is the tightening of penalties and the expansion of criminalization sufficient to address a phenomenon rooted in deep socio-economic structures?

From this problematic, the study day seeks to elucidate the dialectical relationship between three interrelated analytical levels: the structural level concerning demographic and urban transformations; the sociological level linked to the erosion of social capital and institutional vacuum; and the legal level concerning the adequacy of the existing legislative system in confronting renewed forms of urban violence.
The organizers hope that the forthcoming interventions and discussions will provide theoretical and empirical insights that enrich academic debate and assist policymakers in making more effective and sustainable decisions.

Proposed Axes of the Study Day:

Axis I: The concept of urban violence

Axis II: Social and cultural dimensions of urban violence (family disintegration; unemployment and social marginalization; youth delinquency; the impact of social media on violent behavior)

Axis III: The legal and institutional framework for combating urban violence (effectiveness of Algerian legislation; role of security agencies; criminal policy in addressing urban violence; mechanisms of legal prevention and protection)

Axis IV: Local governance and public policies in reducing urban violence (role of local communities; urban planning; preventive policies; partnership between the state and civil society)

Axis V: International experiences in combating urban violence (smart cities and urban security; community policing; experiences of Singapore, the Netherlands, Canada, Japan, etc.)