Edwige
CRUCIFIX

"In Other Words: Francophone Jewish Women’s Literature in the Mediterranean (1860-1962)"

On 24 October 1870, a two-sentence decree penned by Minister of Justice Adolphe Crémieux granted French citizenship to the Jews of Algeria, forever changing the course of history. Beyond its colonies, France’s influence in the Mediterranean relied on the embrace of its language and culture – an enterprise that radically transformed women’s lives. From the founding of the Alliance Israélite Universelle to the end of the colonial empire, this project reconstructs the overlooked literary history of Mediterranean Jewish women, acknowledging them as the first generation of francophone women writers. The first transcultural study of this corpus, the project draws on archival research conducted in France, North Africa, Turkey, and Israel-Palestine to show how, for these women, French was both an empowering tool and a site of tension. Through historical and stylistic analysis, the study further highlights women’s role in the creation of modern Franco-Jewish identity and questions what their legacy means today.