Beyond the Streets: Algerian Women’s Agency and Fight for Recognition in the Hirak Movement

Abstract This paper examines the participation of Algerian women in the 2019 Hirak protests and their efforts to claim gendered and economic recognition within a society shaped by authoritarian and patriarchal structures. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and forty-three interviews conducted in 2019 and 2023, the study explores how women navigate both public protest spaces and more intimate “sociospaces”—such as markets, schools, homes, and informal gatherings within the Hirak—to assert claims for autonomy and recognition. The article introduces the concept of a “gendered moral contract,” showing how Algerian women across social classes mobilize moral, religious, and familial frameworks to demand state-backed compensation for unpaid domestic labor by positioning themselves as essential contributors to family and society. By linking these claims to broader economic resources, including oil wealth, women negotiate recognition within culturally intelligible forms. This study contributes to understanding agency and strategies within social movements, highlighting how women employ culturally grounded, morally framed approaches to frame and share their demands under restrictive political and social conditions.