Algeria is one of the countries in the Arab region that experienced French colonialism from 1830 to 1962. French colonialism in Algeria marked a major change in relations between Europe and the Middle East. The civilizing mission brought by France resulted in the dominance of   French language and culture in every activity of the Algerians, which erased cultural norms and indigenous traditions that had been passed down from generation to generation. The phenomenon of colonization by France against Algeria is recorded in the literary works produced by the country's writers. The novel Ad-Dīwānu al-Isbārṭiy by 'Abdu al-Wahhāb 'Aisāwiy is a literary work that describes the condition of the Algerians in the early days of the French occupation and struggles against the hierarchical power of colonialism in 1813-1833. This study aims to reveal the rhetoric of tradition and rhetoric of development in the process of forming nationalism in the novel Ad-Dīwānu al-Isbārṭiy by 'Abdu al-Wahhāb 'Aisāwiy. The theory used in this study is the theory of postcolonialism in consonance with Lo and Gilbert. This research used the library method in data collection and the dialectical method in data analysis. The results of the research show that Algerian nationalism in the novel Ad-Dīwānu al-Isbārṭiy by 'Abdu al-Wahhāb 'Aisāwiy is formed in two rhetorics, there are the rhetoric of tradition and the rhetoric of development. Traditional rhetoric is represented in three ideas: religion, history, and popular practices. The rhetoric of development is represented through five: the idea of ​​modernity, the idea of ​​science, the idea of ​​rationalization, the idea of ​​globalization, and the idea of ​​gender. The rhetoric of tradition and rhetoric of development is present as the basis for the formation of Algerian nationalism by flexing the bonds of difference and seeing the future of the colonized nation as a nation that can determine its own destiny.

Keywords: nationalism, postcolonial, Algeria, Ad-Dīwānu al-Isbārṭiy