A collection of picture postcards of Algerian women exploited by the French, this "album" illustrates a powerful analysis of the distorting, denigrating effects of their presence on Algerian Society. "Imprisoned by the photographers eye these women reclaim their historicity through the pages of this powerful book. The Colonial Harem deserves a central place in the growing literature of decolonization." --Village Voice "Alloula gathers up the impedimenta of empire in the form of (mainly) lewd French postcards of Algerian women which circulated between 1900 and 1930. By displaying and dissecting colonial pornography as an insider he brings into stark relief the violation of the patriarchal gaze at its harshest." --Women's Review of Books "A shocking photographic excursion into the European fascination with the harem." --Whole Earth Review