National Identity in Algeria: The hard quest of reconciling people’s unity and cultural diversity Nation-State building in Algeria has been a daunting task because of the leaders’ plea for the unity of the people, while overlooking regional particularisms, language diversity and the clash between atavisms and conservative values on the one hand, and democratic aspirations, on the other. The imposed national identity based on Arabism and Islam in post-colonial Algeria did not conceal the existence of the Berber language, communitarianism, the use of French language, religious schisms and even debates on ethnicity and race. For conservative and orthodox Algerians, these ingredients are seen as antagonisms susceptible of hindering the national coherence, while for secular Algerians; they are simply regarded as healthy constituents of the cultural diversity that characterize the national identity. Clashes on the meaning of national identity are still persistent despite the recognition of the Berber as a national and official language, after decades of protests and revolts. These clashes are still fueled by the spread of imported religious practices, especially Salafism. The Hirak or popular movement that erupted in February 2019, which resulted in the downfall of the long-tenure of President of Bouteflika and his clan, has brought to light the manipulations of Algerian identity references by various leaderships in the name of the sacrosanct people unity of the Algerian people in order maintain a monolithic political system. The participation, side by side, of Islamist militants, seculars, men and women, youth and elders in the Hirak street demonstrations and the slogans banning racial differences, cultural particularism and regional disparities have exalted the unity of the people against political marginalization, contempt practices, corruption and social inequalities. The Hirak movement has sprung a new sense of citizenship in contradistinction with the national militant the regime has attempted to impose and the community of believers the Islamists are trying to incrust in the Algerian society. More than that, the Hirak movement has permitted the re-ownership by the people of its history, the rehabilitation of its past heroes, symbols, and ancestral memories. It has, in fact reestablished the historic link between the past and the future on new and more authentic tracks. It is, precisely, this sequential continuum that our contribution will delve into on the basis of an articulated analysis related to the dilemma to which the national identity has been confronted, ever since the independence of Algeria.