[12] Throughout the years there has been a growing movement among Algerians to reclaim their Arabic cultural and linguistic identity, which has been suppressed under the French colonization of Algeria.
[16] The Berber minority who make up between 15%[17] and 20%[18][19][20] to 24%[21][22][23] of the population are divided into many groups with varying languages.
The largest Berber group in Algeria is the Kabyle people, who are concentrated in the Kabylia region of the country.
The Berbers of Algeria have a long and complex history, dating back to ancient times.
They were originally a tribal people, organized into clans and confederations, and they were known for their fierce resistance to foreign invaders.
Arabization was considered as a low phenomenon, mostly due to cultural and economical exchanges between the new Maghreb and the old Mashreq of the Arab world until the 12th century with the immigration of the Bedouin tribe Banu Hilal expanded their cultural influence towards the inland areas.
[25] Following the expulsion of Jews from Spain in the fourteenth century, a large number of them relocated to Algeria, greatly expanding the Jewish population there.